NextGen Healthcare, Inc., a leading provider of ambulatory-focused technology solutions, announced it has entered into an exclusive partnership with Doctible, a platform that enables healthcare providers to receive real-time feedback from patients while automating back-office tasks. Doctible is an add-on platform that seamlessly integrates with the NextGen Office® cloud-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) system to help small practices stimulate loyalty and support growth.

Doctible enables practices to retain patients and grow through its comprehensive communications suite. The suite helps practices boost their online reputation and leverage HIPAA compliant texting for more efficient communication. Doctible also provides fully-customizable appointment reminders to prevent no-shows and bring the practice into the modern era. Components of the suite include:

• Reputation Management – In an era when online reviews are increasingly used to select a healthcare provider, this easy-to-use platform helps enhance a practice’s reputation.
• Smart Reminders and Communication – This platform ensures patients receive the right message at the right time to minimize missed appointments.

“We are very excited to partner with NextGen Healthcare and its best-in-class practice management system for small providers,” said AjitViswanathan, Doctible’s Chief Executive Officer. “The integrated experience empowers practices with a fully-automated platform that helps increase patient loyalty

while reducing no-shows.”“While NextGen HealthCare is continuously innovating organically, partnerships can be a fast and economical means to expanding capabilities to benefit our clients,” said John S. Beck, Chief Solutions Officer and Executive Vice President for NextGen Healthcare. “Our partnership with Doctiblewill enable small practices using NextGen Office to grow while providing improved care for their patients.”

About NextGen Healthcare, Inc.

We empower the transformation of ambulatory care—partnering with medical, behavioral and dental providers in their journey to value-based care to make healthcare better for everyone. We go beyond EHR and PM. Our integrated solutions help increase clinical productivity, enrich the patient experience, and ensure healthy financial outcomes. We believe in better. Learn more at nextgen.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Doctible, Inc.

Doctible’s mission is to help private practices grow and be efficient using technology. By offering its leading patient relationship management platform,practices can easily manage patient communication and increase patient retention through Doctible’s integrated platform, thereby increasing practice efficiency and reducing administrative costs while attracting new patients. Founded in 2013, Doctible is currently deployed at thousands of healthcare practices across the nation and is headquartered in San Diego, Calif.

Hamilton Health Sciences, a Canadian hospital network, has agreed upon a strategic partnership with Siemens Healthineers valued at around $270 million Canadian dollars. Over the contract term of 15 years, with the option to extend for an additional 10 years, Siemens Healthineers will provide comprehensive services for the latest imaging equipment in Hamilton Health Sciences hospitals. The objective of this value partnership is to improve the quality of healthcare through precision medicine and digital health solutions. This partnership marks the largest contract volume ever for Siemens Healthineers in Canada.

“Siemens Healthineers is the preferred partner for long-term value partnerships in healthcare. Our products, solutions and services make healthcare more precise and, thus, more efficient. At the same time, our innovative strength enables us to actively shape the digital transformation of healthcare. Our customers count on the combination of knowhow, reliability and quality, especially when it comes to actively responding to the pressure of rising costs in healthcare while at the same time achieving better clinical results”, emphasized Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers AG.

“The best patient care of the future requires new processes, equipment and partnerships,” said Rob MacIsaac, President and CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences. “Our partnership with Siemens Healthineers will enable Hamilton Health Sciences to stay ahead of advancements in medical diagnostic and imaging capability, so we can exceed the needs and expectations of the patients we serve for many years to come. At the same time, we will unlock new

benefits for the patient care teams and clinicians working throughout our hospital. Together, we will ensure safe and optimal diagnostic services, improve patient flow, and enhance training. Most importantly, we’ll be able to serve more patients and offer more accurate diagnostic services to help inform decisions about their care.”

Over the 15-year contract term, Siemens Healthineers will replace and service around 500 imaging and monitoring devices. The scope of this agreement includes computed tomography, advanced therapies, magnetic resonance, ultrasound, mammography, X-ray and molecular imaging devices as well as angiography solutions. Hamilton Health Sciences will thus benefit from innovations in diagnostic equipment and digital healthcare solutions. This strategic partnership is meant to reduce the technological risk for Hamilton Health Sciences, reduce total operating costs, streamline operating processes and efficiency, facilitate digital connectivity and ensure that imaging devices continue to meet the industry’s stringent standards. Hospital employees will have access to training and further education resources to help further optimize patient care in the region.

This agreement in Canada is a value partnership, which is how Siemens Healthineers refers to long-term, results-oriented partnerships that enable healthcare providers to enhance their corporate value and reduce operating complexity. Within the framework of this partnership, Siemens Healthineers analyzes and improves clinical processes, evolves the service portfolio and expands clinical applications. Innovative medical solutions and technologies enhance the quality and precision of care for the entire facility. Other Siemens Healthineers value partnerships include those with William Osler Health System, also in Ontario, Canada, the University of Missouri System in the USA, with Dallah Health Company in Saudi Arabia and with the Braunschweig metropolitan hospital (Städtisches Klinikum Braunschweig) in Germany.

Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL) is shaping the future of Healthcare. As a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Healthineers enables healthcare providers worldwide through its regional companies to increase value by empowering them on their journey towards expanding precision medicine, transforming care delivery, improving the patient experience, and digitalizing healthcare. Siemens Healthineers is continuously developing its product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology. These new applications will enhance the company’s foundation in in-vitro diagnostic, image-guided therapy, and in-vivo diagnostics. Siemens Healthineers also provides a range of services and solutions to enhance healthcare providers ability to provide high-quality, efficient care to patients. In fiscal 2019, which ended on September 30, 2019, Siemens Healthineers, which has approximately 52,000 employees worldwide, generated revenue of €14.5 billion and adjusted profit of €2.5 billion.

EKF Diagnostics, the global in vitro diagnostics company, announces that it is supporting the reduction of anemia in developing regions of South America through the use of its point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin analyzers, as highlighted in a recent International Symposium. EKF’s Hemo Control hemoglobin analyzer has been helping the reliable screening and monitoring of anemia to fight chronic child malnutrition by South American public health programs for a number of years. In Peru, one such program has reduced chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years old from 28% to 13% since 2006. The significance of this achievement has been recognized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.¹

The ongoing Peruvian program was a focus of the ‘International Symposium: Advances in Anemia’ which focused on hemoglobin testing and malnutrition prevention organized by Diagnostica Peruana SAC. With expert presentations given by senior figure in the Peruvian Ministry of Health, Dr Juan Carlos Noguera and from Mexico’s National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, nutritionist Marti Yareli Del Monte, the Symposium discussed how chronic child malnutrition is reduced by raising awareness and scaling up health and nutrition interventions in South America. Within Peru, this is achieved via a network of nutritionists and nurses from the Ministry of Health who routinely use EKF’s robust Hemo Control analyzer in remote areas throughout the country for hemoglobin testing.

Malnutrition is one of the major causes of anemia, so hemoglobin measurement using Hemo Control provides a reliable screening tool for the effectiveness of ongoing nutrition and health programs. The Symposium provided an ideal opportunity for the participating health workers to learn from the experts, and also meet and share their experiences and best practice for anemia screening programs which form an integral part of the larger nutrition programs, such as the Peruvian ‘Programa Articulado Nutricional’.

The health workers using the Hemo Control highlighted its reliable use in extreme weather conditions; for example, in Peru there are approximately 8,600 of these point-of-care analyzers in action. They are being successfully deployed from coastal regions with temperatures over 35°C; to the mountains, at more than 4,500 meters above sea level and far lower temperatures; and the jungle, with its humid, hot climate. However, due to its robustness and versatility the device works reliably to deliver simple, accurate and reliable hemoglobin and hematocrit test results whatever its location.

Examples of Hemo Control’s reliability were discussed at the Symposium. For example, in recent times northern Peru suffered damage due to the El Niño phenomenon. Many health facilities were flooded, including Cura Mori, in Piura: “The Hemoglobinometer case was floating in the water and I thought it was broken,” said a nurse, “But, thanks to its hermetic carry case, our Hemo Control is still working and fully supporting our efforts to fight against child malnutrition in Peru.” The reliability of Hemo Control in adverse climatic conditions was also noted by other health workers from Andean cities such as Cerro de Pasco with very low annual average temperatures. The same positive results were obtained in Huancavelica, another high-altitude city regularly experiencing intense cold.

The health workers also commented on the portability and excellent battery life of their Hemo Control devices. For example, Luis a nurse in the Huacavelica province of Peru’s Andean region, must walk for hours to reach otherwise inaccessible remote mountain villages for the anemia screening program. “The ease of use, reliability and portability of the Hemo Control are essential for the success of my work,” said Luis. “By having immediate, accurate hemoglobin results whatever my location, means I can assess and deliver the necessary nutritional supplements and fortification to prevent malnutrition in children wherever they live.”

EKF Diagnostics’ Hemo Control delivers quantitative, lab quality hemoglobin results from 25 seconds, it also calculates haematocrit. It uses the well-established photometric azide methemoglobin method ensuring reliable results with a high precision (CV <2%). Due to its backlit screen, soft-load cuvette holder and integrated rechargeable battery, it is the ideal analyzer for stationary use and mobile settings. The point-of-care analyzer also features a bi-directional interface using a public standard protocol that allows direct integration with third party software. For more information on EKF Diagnostics, see www.ekfdiagnostics.com

Reference:

1 – Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2017). The Stories Behind the Data.

About EKF Diagnostics www.ekfdiagnostics.com or www.ekfusa.com

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, which includes the EKF Diagnostics, Stanbio Laboratory and DiaSpect brands, specializes in the development, production and worldwide distribution of point-of-care analyzers for use in the detection and management of diabetes and anemia, and also in sports and maternal medicine. EKF products are sold in more than 100 countries around the globe, through a network of specialist distributors.

Point-of-care diagnostics: EKF Diagnostics designs and manufactures world-class diagnostic devices, as well as distributing rapid test kits for infectious diseases and pregnancy. The EKF analyzer range is used widely in GP surgeries, pharmacies, blood banks, sports clinics, hospitals and laboratories for glucose, lactate, hemoglobin, hematocrit and HbA1c measurement.

Central laboratory: EKF, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Stanbio Laboratory (Boerne, Texas, USA), manufactures a comprehensive range of clinical chemistry reagents, as well as associated analyzers. In addition, EKF Life Sciences (Elkhart, Indiana, USA) manufactures enzymes used in reagent development and also provides contract fermentation facilities.

Elekta announced that it signed a contract with the Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, for an Elekta Unity MR-linac system, two Versa HD™ linear accelerators (linacs), upgrade of existing Elekta Infinity™ linacs as well as upgrades and expansions of Monaco® treatment planning software and MOSAIQ® oncology information systems and service.

The total contract is valued at approximately EUR 22 million, of which EUR 18 million will be booked in the third quarter of Elekta’s fiscal year 2019/20. The remainder will be booked successively over the next ten years. Elekta won the contract through a public procurement procedure.

Elekta’s Head of Region Europe, Renato Leite, says: “We are proud to strengthen our long-standing relationship with the Bordet Institute, which is devoted entirely to patients affected by cancer. As it prepares to move to its New Bordet Institute in 2021, we are excited to be providing the most modern radiotherapy treatment solutions available so the Institute can offer its cancer patients personalized precision radiation medicine.”

The comprehensive cancer center is gearing up for its new cancer clinic with an investment in state-of-the-art technology and upgrades to existing devices. This includes Elekta Unity, a transformative magnetic resonance radiation therapy (MR/RT) system, which combines a high-field MRI scanner with a best-in-class linear accelerator to enable personalized precision radiation therapy.

The institute already enjoys Elekta solutions, including Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™ and two Elekta Infinity linacs as well as MOSAIQ and Monaco and Elekta’s microSelectron® brachytherapy afterloading platform. The two Versa HD systems in this contract will replace competing systems. When all the solutions will have been deployed the Jules Bordet Institute will be Belgium’s the largest single radiation therapy site with four Elekta linacs, one Unity MR-Linac and one Leksell Gamma Knife.

Software upgrades are scheduled for delivery during 2020 and the linear accelerators, including Unity, in 2021.

About Elekta Unity

Elekta Unity is a state-of-the art MR-linac that is defining a new standard for personalized radiation therapy based on real-time high resolution anatomical and biological MRI at the point-of-care. Unity combines a Philips high-field 1.5T MRI scanner with a best-in-class 7MV linear accelerator and breakthrough online dose replanning software that are fully integrated to enable adaptive radiotherapy and real-time target monitoring.

About Elekta

For almost five decades, Elekta has been a leader in precision radiation medicine. Our nearly 4,000 employees worldwide are committed to ensuring everyone in the world with cancer has access to – and benefits from – more precise, personalized radiotherapy treatments. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Elekta is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm Exchange. Visit elekta.com or follow @Elekta on Twitter.

CT scanners with intelligent user guidance, AI-based software assistants for MRI and a lab system that revolutionizes workflows: Siemens Healthineers is showcasing its products and solutions according to the motto “Shaping the Future of Healthcare” at this year’s Arab Health (January 27 – 30, 2020) in Dubai, UAE, focusing on digital transformation of imaging and laboratory testing while improving patient experience.

“The whole healthcare industry and provider landscape is going through a transformation that’s being driven by digitalization and data-based clinical decision making: While the number of connected devices is growing exponentially, only a fraction of the acquired data is structured and qualified for further use and analysis. Therein lies a tremendous opportunity to tap into this unused data pool and create new insights and value. Our digital fingerprint and AI portfolio brings us together with our customers in a great position to benefit from these long-term trends to enhance the entire healthcare landscape and to provide benefit to the patient. With a portfolio of more than 45 AI-driven offerings powering our leading imaging, image-guided therapy and in-vitro diagnostics technologies combined with our long-standing presence in the Near and Middle East and in Africa, Siemens Healthineers is in an excellent position to become the trusted digitalization partner for the entire region”, says Bernd Ohnesorge, President Europe, Middle East and Africa at Siemens Healthineers.

New Somatom X.cite CT scanner with revolutionary user guidance system
For the first time at Arab Health, Siemens Healthineers showcases the single-source CT scanner Somatom X.cite – the first CT scanner with the new intelligent user guidance system myExam Companion, which automatically adapts scanner protocols in line with patient data and guides users of all levels of experience through more sophisticated exams and helps them achieve consistent diagnostic results. myExam Companion makes use of available patient data, such as sex, height, and age, and combines these with additional patient-specific information gathered by asking the user specific questions, for example about the presence of metal implants or the ability of patients to hold their breath. The scanner then optimizes the scan parameters accordingly to ensure the best possible result. In combination, these innovations help structure workflows more efficiently and achieve extremely high-quality results even in difficult diagnostic situations. Featuring a 82 cm gantry, Somatom X.cite can offer unprecedented image quality in the single-source segment, in addition to maximum patient comfort.

AI-based assistants for magnetic resonance imaging
To free radiologists from the burden of time-consuming routine tasks and improve quality of care during magnetic resonance imaging examinations of the brain and prostate, Siemens Healthineers has designed two brand-new software assistants based on artificial intelligence. After lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second-most common malignant cancer affecting males world-wide1. AI-Rad Companion Prostate MR for Biopsy Support2 automatically segments the outer contour of the prostate on MRI images and enables radiologists to mark lesions, so that it’s easier for their colleagues in Urology to perform targeted prostate biopsies. The time needed for this routine activity can be cut down to just a few seconds. AI-Rad Companion Brain MR2 for Morphometry Analysis automatically segments the brain in MRI images, measures brain volume – e.g. in cases of suspected dementia – and provides result tables on volumetric changes in brain areas, used by neurologists for diagnosis and treatment. Both new applications can be used on MRI scanners from different manufacturers and are available on teamplay3, the cloud-based healthcare platform from Siemens Healthineers.

“We are in a time that marks the digital revolution in healthcare. As other industries, digitalization has also found its way into the clinical sphere, where patients are benefitting from improved image interpretation and procedure planning which allows for optimal patient care and puts the patient at the center of all digitalization efforts”, says Ole Maloy, Managing Director, Siemens Healthineers, Middle East and Southern and Eastern Africa.

Cost-effective premium medical imaging services with Acuson Redwood
The Ultrasound system Acuson Redwood meets the growing demand for cost-effective premium medical imaging services. The system features advanced applications which enable precise lesion detection and characterization. AI-powered tools facilitate the examination and increase efficiency for smart workflows. The system offers shared services cardiology features which can be used by different hospital departments. Along with a portable and lightweight design allowing easy transport and use across clinical departments, Acuson Redwood offers clinicians an affordable and efficient high-performing imaging solution.

Angiography systems that expand the reach of precision medicine
For the first time at Arab Health, Siemens Healthineers presents Artis icono, its latest family of high-precision angiography systems. Artis icono permits a wide range of minimally invasive procedures to be performed in a single interventional suite. The Artis icono biplane system is engineered for optimal utilization in neuroradiology and abdominal imaging, while the Artis icono floor is a floor-mounted, single-plane system for vascular, interventional cardiology, surgical, and oncology procedures. Both systems in the Artis icono family expand the reach of precision medicine. At its core, the Artis icono platform delivers the new Optiq image chain, which fundamentally redesigns image processing for 2D imaging. Optiq increases image quality across a wide range of C-arm angles and patient weights, regulating acquisition parameters to automatically achieve constant image quality at lowest possible patient radiation dose.

Atellica Solution can address current challenges and evolve as the laboratory grows
As labs focus on reducing cost burdens while meeting increasing testing demands, they need solutions that are flexible to adapt as their needs change. The lab system Atellica Solution can address both current challenges and evolve as the laboratory grows. Laboratories can use the platform to simplify test workflows and expand their capacities for testing patient samples with its modular design. This means laboratories can both accommodate growing demand and compensate for declining reimbursement rates. The Atellica Solution uses patented, bidirectional magnetic transport technology to transport samples to make patient results available faster. In combination with a revolutionary sample management technology providing independent control of each individual sample, emergency samples can also be prioritized with far less user input.

3rd party training sessions in PEPconnect
PEPconnect (Personalized Education Plan), an online platform providing thousands of learning modules on imaging and laboratory diagnostics, now offers access to additional education content to meet the holistic needs of the healthcare professional. With flexible technology, now everyone from the institution to the individual can have access to education in a single space, including product focused, clinical, and beyond. The first subscription offering MRI PRO4, with a library of 300 PI-RADS scored multi parametric prostate MRI cases, is now available on PEPconnect and will be showcased at ArabHealth. MRI PRO is an e-learning website that trains radiologists, urologists and trainee specialists through online case-based learning-by-doing, complete with full histological verification for instant feedback. The program offers quality images validated against the standard of tissue histopathology, and provides the opportunity to earn CME and CPD points.

Medtronic plc announced that it received approval from the U.S. FDA to proceed with an investigational device exemption (IDE) trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the PulseSelect™ Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System, a new technology that uses pulsed electric fields to treat atrial fibrillation. First procedures in the trial were performed in December 2019 by Bradley Wilsmore, M.D., at John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia and in January by Atul Verma, M.D., the principal investigator (PI) for the study, at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Canada.

PFA uses pulsed electric fields to ablate or create lesions and scar tissue to interrupt irregular electrical pathways in the heart and the triggers of atrial fibrillation. However, unlike traditional methods of ablation that heat the tissue (radio frequency) or cool the tissue (cryo) to ablate, PFA is non-thermal and selectively targets cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) while avoiding other types of tissue.

“This study will evaluate a new energy source that may treat atrial fibrillation and potentially address the risks that have been associated with other ablation technologies, such as unintended tissue damage,” said Verma. “The rigorous pre-clinical research to get us to these first procedures has been impressive and we are excited to support the development of more clinical evidence.”

In September 2018, Medtronic was granted Breakthrough Device designation from the FDA for the PFA technology for the treatment of drug refractory recurrent symptomatic atrial fibrillation. Worldwide, the PFA system is investigational and not approved for sale or distribution.

PULSED AF is a prospective, multi-center, non-randomized, unblinded and worldwide study that will enroll patients who will be treated with the Medtronic PulseSelect PFA System.

“As a global leader in the treatment of cardiac arrythmias, Medtronic is constantly evaluating new and existing therapies to better meet the needs of patients and the physicians who care for them,” said Rebecca Seidel, vice president and general manager in the Atrial Fibrillation Solutions division, which is part of the Cardiac and Vascular Group at Medtronic. “The PULSED AF study is another example of our commitment to meaningful innovation and a major step forward in the development of a diverse set of therapy options for atrial fibrillation patients.”

In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias. The company strives to offer products and services of the highest quality that deliver clinical and economic value to healthcare consumers and providers around the world.