HIT: Siemens rebrands integrated imaging platform

Siemens is touting the integration of its imaging solutions with its electronic medical records software. The company is giving the combination of its radiology information system (RIS), image acquisition and management system, and picture archive and communication system (PACS) the brand name syngo Suite and has integrated syngo with its main clinical information system (CIS), Soarian. The move comes as the explosion of imaging use continues in American medicine, and hospitals are rapidly adopting the PACS systems required to handle the resulting digital image files.

Siemens acquired clinical information vendor SMS in 2000 hoping to achieve synergies in sales between its medical equipment and clinical information divisions. Thus far it has not been very successful. Siemens has also found the development of its new CIS Soarian to be problematic. Siemens is now betting that these teething troubles are behind it and that hospitals will want to go with one vendor for their imaging and IT needs. Rivals GE and Philips have responded. GE purchased IDX earlier this year, and Philips has an alliance with Epic.

- see this press release from Siemens