One third of German hospitals are in the red
Government grants €1.1 billion to help finance rising personnel costs and increase nurses specialists in infection prevention and control
Economy
Market Trends in Europe Interventional Radiology and Cardiology
The European market for interventional radiology and cardiology is heading towards maturity, especially in Western Europe. Although the economic slowdown and fewer orders had a negative impact on revenues in 2012, it is expected that expanding applications of interventional systems and the popularisation of hybrid solutions will drive market growth over the 2013-2017 period.
Multi-dimensional planning is the future
Hospital refurbishment or new buildings can quickly run into several million euros.
EKF Diagnostics launches new molecular division
EKF Diagnostics, worldwide manufacturer of point-of-care diagnostic tools, organ injury biomarkers and assays, has announced the launch of a new division to focus on molecular and companion diagnostics.
Robust Future for European health information exchange market
Vendors exhibiting strong leadership and understanding of interoperability standards to make gains
Scepticism increases among German in vitro diagnostics firms
The 2013 turnover expected by German in vitro diagnostics producers are significantly lower compared to last year, according to a survey of members carried out by the German Diagnostics Industry Association (VDGH) presented in January at the Diagnostica Forum in Berlin.
Ambulatory surgery
Massive and increasing cost pressure urges many hospitals to look for alternatives to expensive in-patient surgery.
Innovate, or go out of business
Management in Radiology (MIR): this ESR subcommittee is dedicated to management topics, developments in eHealth, and major trends in the discipline.
How to maintain appropriateness and safety
The second Management in Radiology session at this year’s ECR focussed on challenges for radiology coming from telemedicine, eHealth, appropriateness, and safety issues.
Fujifilm’s continuing global presence
New business ventures, new systems – and those include 3-D mammography
Technology, tracers and trends
The last decade saw PET and now PET/CT numbers expand rapidly in Europe. More recently the picture has been less rosy with public and private sectors delaying new projects and pushing back the replacement of equipment.
POCT testing technology
Julian Baines, Group CEO of EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, considers the present role of point of-care tests and their potential value to health services
MRSA outbreaks cost a fortune
A new test gives reliable results in just 75 minutes, speeding up combat actions. Since Methicillin-resistant staphy lococcus aureus (MRSA) has developed resistance to antibiotic treatments, infections have become a dreaded occurrence in hospitals worldwide.
UK labs face changes and challenges from new healthcare legislation
Aspects of new healthcare legislation are causing concern among medical laboratory experts in the United Kingdom – including the lack of future funding for innovation and development under a new reimbursement model, little appetite to quantify the cost effectiveness of laboratory testing, reduced staffing and a shift in emphasis that will see the need to make profit over-ride initiative and…
Transparency and benchmarking
Late last year, at the German Hospital Procurement Congress in Berlin, we met with Durral R Gilbert, President of the US firm Premier Supply Chain Services, who was presenting cost-cutting strategies that reach far beyond reducing consumables and equipment prices – strategies that might also help hospitals in Europe.
Mindray is quick, flexible, highly international and open to all
Founded in 1991 in Shenzhen, China, Mindray is now known internationally for its products that cover patient monitoring and life support, in-vitro diagnostics, medical imaging and veterinary. During Daniela Zimmermann’s interview with David Yin, General Manager of Mindray Europe, he described the firm’s clear strategy for Europe and beyond
Swedish university invests in virtual medical technology
In its bid to offer the most modern medicine program in Sweden, Örebro University has invested in three visualization tables from Sectra.
Jordan struggles to serve refugee population
A high unemployment rate coupled with an influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria has compounded challenges faced by the Jordanian government to provide healthcare for all, states a new report by healthcare experts GlobalData.
Aurelius acquires healthcare business of Tieto
The investment company Aurelius Group, based in Munich/Germany, has closed a deal to acquire Tieto’s divisions Healthcare, Systems Integration & Consulting, and Product Engineering Solutions as well as related activities in the Netherlands, Poland, and India.
Endoscopy systems
Olympus has led the field in advancing endoscopic technology. Just when experts and users thought no further optimisation was possible, Olympus placed another major innovation in the marketplace – and the firm has done it again.
Simpler risk scoring
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) supports physicians in vital treatment decisions.
Trumpf distrubtes ViKY in the Middle East
Robotics and systems providing assistance during procedures harbor great potential for medical use.
The curious tale of abandoned plans and dismantled hopes
A prototype for proton and ion therapy has been used clinically in Heidelberg since 2009. Built jointly by Siemens and GSI (Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research) in Darmstadt.
BVMed asks for immediate action
The German Medical Technology Association BVMed is asking the European Commission, the Council and the Parliament to take immediate action in bringing forward appropriate measures to improve the designation and surveillance of notified bodies and market surveillance of medical devices.
Adverse consequences are clinical as well as economic
No one wants to be admitted to a hospital because the food is good. Yet, following discharge, one of the first things the patient is asked is, ‘How was the food?’ as if the medical treatment is of secondary interest.