For Global Health Resources Subscribers          |          August 2010             |          Volume 11 Issue 8

Secure supply of state-of-the-art imaging systems over a period of 15 years

The Ministry of Health of the Spanish region of Murcia has placed an order worth 132 million Euros to Siemens Healthcare for medical technology, service and financing. Within the framework of a public private partnership, Siemens will provide two hospitals in the region with more than 100 imaging systems, including computed tomography scanners, mammography systems, and ultrasound systems. Siemens ensures that the hospitals work with state-of-the-art technology for the next 15 years. This includes both maintenance and an innovation guarantee: The systems will be replaced in predefined intervals with the newest model of the respective product line. Siemens Financial Services developed the financing solution for the initial equipment and for the regular technological replacements.

The Cartagena and Mar Menor public hospitals in the Murcia region will have a total of more than 1,000 beds and will be completed by the end of 2010. However, the Ministry of Health faced a considerable challenge when it was required to provide the latest medical technology for two large hospitals all at once. For this reason, the authorities looked for a private investor. "With public private partnership tenders, we aim at advancing the quality of our health services and simultaneously improve the relationship between costs and benefits,” said Maria Angeles Palacio, Health Minister of the Murcia region. “For this project, the Siemens solution proved to be most competitive both in technological and economical terms.”

The contract’s linchpin is the "Managed Equipment Services" (MES) business model that Siemens Healthcare has already applied to various successful projects – especially in Great Britain, where the publicly financed healthcare system largely depends on the commitment of private companies. With MES contracts, customers have the benefits of using the latest technology while they need not worry about system maintenance and management. Simultaneously, they can count on planning reliability for a fixed period of time.

Source: Siemens, August 11, 2010

Malpractice in China
Healthcare Economist, August 17, 2010

Cancer is world's costliest disease, report shows

MSNBC Health, http://twitter.com/msnbc_health, August 17, 2010

China Sets Conditions on Novartis Deal

Wall Street Journal Health, http://twitter.com/WSJHealth, August 17, 2010

Medical Tourism Spreading 'Superbug'

MSNBC, August 12, 2010

Wireless Reach Initiative to Serve the Elderly

Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM) and Medical Platform Asia (MedPA) have signed a formal agreement to provide medical devices with integrated 3G wireless modules for people in need of health services.

The project is being implemented through Qualcomm's Wireless Reach™ initiative and will allow 300 remote local residents to send critical health information to doctors through a 3G wireless network. Information such a resident's blood pressure, weight and distance walked can be easily and immediately shared with participating physicians. The data is then reviewed and local residents are advised to adjust their activities in order to improve their physical condition. The health records are further analyzed by correlating them with clinical data and other factors.

There are local regions where emergency care and advanced health care are lacking, particularly in snowy areas such as Hokkaido where there are issues with transportation during the winter and the circumstances make access to health care facilities more difficult. For such areas, the ability for people to manage their own health is important to preventing illnesses from becoming serious. The current trend is to reduce the number of long-term care beds in hospitals to promote shorter hospital stays and home-based nursing to reduce health care costs. This being the case, home medical care is fast becoming important in Japan. For remote locations, even a home visit by a doctor or nurse requires considerable time and effort. Therefore, there is a need to increase efficiency through the ability to remotely monitor patient risks and symptoms.
"The collaboration between Qualcomm, MedPA and other project participants will increase access to quality health care," said Jun Yamada, senior vice president of Qualcomm and president of Qualcomm Japan. "We are committed to applying 3G wireless technology to improve public health in rural areas of Japan where there is currently limited access."

MedPA will provide the 3G-enabled communication equipment in collaboration with Chealcomm, a Japan-based MVNO that specializes in advanced wireless and wellness services. The equipment, which is distributed through MedPA's affiliated medical facilities, is used for monitoring vital data from people (seniors and patients with lifestyle diseases) living in areas that are located far from a medical facility or that face other issues, such as a scarcity of physicians.

"MedPA is fortunate to have these companies involved to aid in the adoption and advancement of wireless medical and wellness services in the Japanese home market," said Masanori Nishiyama, M.D., chairman of the board of directors of MedPA. "This project will provide close monitoring of a local resident's condition and, by utilizing 3G wireless technology, a doctor can remotely provide diagnosis and treatment recommendations on a regular basis."

"In Japan, there are areas where it is difficult to see a specialist and there are quite a few patients who don't receive adequate medical services," says Kazuaki Shimamoto, M.D., Ph.D., president and chairperson of Sapporo Medical University. "I have been building evidence via epidemiological research of patients who have had high blood pressure for more than 30 years and in order to receive the latest treatments based on real-time and vital data, there is a need to improve medical access. The Japanese Society of Hypertension has stated the importance of having home blood pressure measurement included in hypertension treatment guidelines. With quick and simple monitoring of blood pressure at home and the ability to receive remote treatment by specialists, this project is an important step in improving medical access. I welcome this initiative to support underserved patients and I truly appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in this project."
 

Source: Qualcomm, July 22, 2010