April 18, 2016 -- Curagita Holding AG and Siemens Healthcare are jointly planning to develop and evaluate new e-health solutions for the 100 practices in the Radiologienetz Deutschland (Radiology Network Germany). An initial pilot phase will test an e-health application in the network's own major radiology and nuclear medicine practices in Hamburg and Munich, which will support both diagnostic processes and the quality network between the various locations. In the first stage, from mid-2016, it will be possible for the two participating reference practices within the network, and the patients themselves, to have electronic access to prostate cancer diagnosis results. Siemens will be responsible for interdisciplinary and multi-sector networking and develop the access portals. The physicians at the major practices will also test the diagnostic imaging software and Siemens' long-term archive. The evaluation of different indicators from medical examinations and expert surveys via telemedicine will make use of a Cloud-based IT solution from Siemens.
Curagita manages the Radiology Network Germany, which currently brings together 360 radiologists in 100 independent practices and 70 hospital departments, and Deutsche Radiologienetz AG, which operates one hospital and two major radiology and nuclear medicine healthcare centers in Hamburg and Munich.
Siemens and Curagita intend to expand their existing cooperation in the area of imaging systems to include IT. The two companies have therefore agreed to test a range of applications for an e-health solution. The first pilot project involves prostate cancer diagnostics using the German Radiology Network's RaDiagnostiX program.
A special feature of this program is the close interdisciplinary and multi-sector cooperation between urologists and radiologists, radiotherapists and other specialists using standardized documentation and close communication. Second opinions will be sought in some instances. If requested, patients will receive a personal record document in paper form, containing a compact summary of all information and processes, which they can use to maintain their results. The associated documents have previously been forwarded in paper form, but that's about to change.
The Siemens platform for multi-sector communication, sense1, - - in Austria already tried and tested - networks the practices of physicians who are participating in the examination and diagnostic process as referring physicians or to provide first or second opinions. The program also controls the process in which the results, which may be anonymized as appropriate, are forwarded to the competent physicians. The physicians and patients have password-protected access to their results via their own portals.
