Economy

The future of digital mammography

Digital mammography, which is considered the gold standard of breast imaging, has rendered image management and consequently the entire – purely on-screen – diagnostic process more reliable and more efficient.

Public health puzzle - inequalities in health

In almost all of the industrialised countries, the general health status - as indicated for example by infant mortality, prevalence of disease, subjective health and life expectancy - has improved during the last four decades. At the same time, however, there is a proven close correlation between good and poor health and high and low socioeconomic status.

Virtueller Arztbesuch: Cisco HealthPresence

Ab sofort lässt sich Cisco HealthPresence im Customer Briefing Center (CBC) in Eschborn bei Frankfurt am Main live erleben. Ärzte, Krankenhausbetreiber und Interessenten erhalten hier kostenlos Einblick in das High-End-Audio/Videokonferenzsystem.

MCC hospital world 2009

Especially in times of increasing cost pressure and sinking earnings at constantly increasing quality demands, it is essential to exchange successful internationalisation strategies with international experts. During the MCC hospital world 2009 you can think outside the box and learn from the experiences of your colleagues. Even this year, there will be more than 20 renowned international…

Agendia expands laboratory capacity

Agendia announced the official opening of its new headquarters at Amsterdam's Science Park at Watergraafsmeer, Kruislaan 406. The Grand Opening ceremony was officiated by Dr. Rene Bernards, Chief Scientific Officer at Agendia and the Honourable Director General Mrs. R.M. Bergkamp, on behalf of the Honourable Mrs. Maria van der Hoeven, Minster of Economic Affairs for The Netherlands.

GE and Asklepios Hospital Group to build up “Green Hospital”

GE and Asklepios Hospital Group signed an agreement to create their first project in German healthcare to comprehensively address environmental issues. The renovation and expansion of one of the hospitals owned by Asklepios in Hamburg, Germany, known as the "Green Hospital" project, will be their pilot hospital in Europe entirely planned and designed on ecological principles.

Spanish healthcare

In July 2007, Bernat Soria Escoms, one of the world's leading experts in stem cell research, became Spain's new Health Minister, when his predecessor Elena Salgado was moved to Public Administration.

Hospital architecture

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA), an award-winning practice that specializes in workplace consulting, architecture and interior design, has eight offices in Europe, America and Russia and has designed healthcare environments throughout the UK, Europe, North America and the Middle East. Among these is the £300 million King's Mill Hospital, a PFI institution now under construction in…

Top quality screens increase diagnostic confidence

The Dienst Medische Beeldvorming (Medical Imaging Department) at Groeninge General Hospital, in Kortrijk, Belgium, which produces 150,000 radiology reports annually on four different sites, is totally filmless and paperless, relying on Barco's diagnostic display technology for the past decade. This year, due to its near proximity to Barco's headquarters, the hospital is to become a reference site…

LightCycler MRSA Advanced Test cheats time

How the PCR-Test works The MRSA bacterium contains an additional 'mobile gene cassette' (SCCmec cassette) in its genetic makeup, which contains the so-called mecA gene. All beta-Lactam antibiotics such as Methicillin are therefore no longer effective. The LightCycler MRSA Advanced Test facilitates the detection of all five known SCCmec types within 85 to 100 minutes. This test principle is based…

UK doctors urged to challenge 'aberrant corporate cultures'

Dr Jonathan Fielden, Chairman of the Consultants Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA), has called for private management consultants to be "ditched" from the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

The LW C200i Auto Chemistry Analyser

The new LW C200i Auto-chemistry Analyser combines the Stable reaction system, an economical sample and reagent system, advanced and unique optical system, and a comprehensive software system, its manufacturer Landwind Medical reports.

MEDICA furthers international appeal

The congress, held in tandem with this world famous medical fair, has traditionally been held in German. Now a new English language section is to be introduced to the Medica Congress 2009 programme. Speaking with Meike Lerner (EH), Dr Julia Rautenstrauch, Secretary General of Medica e.V. and head of congress, explained how the new concept will be integrated into the overall congress structure and…

A surprise surge in 'stranger' organ donations

A rapid rise in 'altruistic donations', i.e. strangers having a kidney removed for an unknown patient, has been reported by the UK's Human Tissue Authority (HTA). Although there have been just 15 stranger donations (three still await surgery),

Speeding up vaccine production

During the race to produce vaccines against evolving influenza viruses the slowness of their manufacture has turned producers more sharply towards cell culture technology. Using the traditional process, fertilised chicken eggs must first be inoculated with live flu virus, then the resulting egg-adapted virus must be purified and inactivated to produce trivalent inactivated virus (TIV), during…

International TB support from KfW Development Bank

Within the World Health Organisation European region three quarters of all new tuberculosis (TB) infections occur in Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Uzbekistan, the Ukraine and Turkey. The multi-resistant TB viruses, which can no longer be treated with conventional medication, are particularly common there.

Coolidge Award 2009

For the 16th year in a row, the innovation prize for radiological diagnostics was awarded by GE Healthcare at this year's Radiology Congress in Berlin. The prize comes with a research budget worth EUR 15,000 and is for young radiologists whose scientific work is opening up new horizons in the field of radiology.

Ziosoft and Medicor announce partnership agreement

Ziosoft, Inc. a leader in advanced visualization and analysis software for medical imaging and MMS Medicor Medical Supplies GmbH Kerpen (Medicor), a leading distributor of medical products in Europe, announced today that the companies have signed an exclusive agreement for Medicor to distribute Ziosoft's 3D thin-client software solutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

E-commerce

German health insurance funds do not use their customer data sufficiently, according to a study by consultancy agency Kienbaum, which also found that health insurers do not `cultivate a client-oriented culture´. (Clients = the medically insured).

Personnel deficits

Healthcare in Germany will suffer if doctors and nurses cannot delegate certain tasks to others. So warned Udo Janssen MD MBA, speaking at the recent Gesundheitsnetzwerker (health network) congress held in Berlin. Blaming the inflexibility of new labour models that make them difficult to implement, Dr Janssen believes they need to be reviewed.

apoBank und TeleCash bieten Komplett-Paket für die Gesundheitskarte an

In den kommenden Wochen und Monaten werden die Krankenkassen mit der Ausgabe der neuen elektronischen Gesundheitskarte (eGK) an ihre Mitglieder starten. Damit der Basis-Rollout der elektronischen Gesundheitskarte auch in der Praxis reibungslos abläuft, kooperieren TeleCash GmbH & Co. KG, eine Tochtergesellschaft des weltweiten Anbieters von Zahlungsdienstleistungen First Data und einer…

Russia: A strange state for state-of-the-art laboratory diagnostics

The last time medical science enriched clinical practice with new advanced technologies ideas about aetiology and the treatment principles of a great number of diseases changed. Now the dilemma of modification of diagnoses and treatments, including laboratory diagnostics, is a very hot issue in Russia.