Medical technology company Siemens Healthineers has entered a 10-year contract with Geisinger, giving the Danville, Pennsylvania-based healthcare system access to a broad spectrum of Siemens’ healthcare technology solutions.
Geisinger’s hospital systems, which are plentiful throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey, will gain access to Siemens’ cutting-edge imaging equipment, and AI radiology equipment. These upgrades in technology will allow Geisinger to improve the speed and accuracy of chest CT scan and brain MRI analyses, among other types of imaging.
Geisinger entered the partnership in hopes that access to Siemens’ artificial intelligence and diagnostic imaging equipment will help the hospital system hit their strategic marks for improving care throughout the region.
"Making better health easier by bringing world-class care close to home is central to everything we do at Geisinger,” Geisinger’s Chief Operating Officer Matthew Walsh said of the partnership. “This partnership will allow us to continue to equip our facilities with the most advanced diagnostic imaging technology in the market to care for our patients.”
Aside from imaging innovations, Geisinger will also shift over to a few new cloud-based technologies: AI-Rad Companion is a group of AI-enabled reading solutions designed to prepare clinical input for radiologists to interpret. Teamplay’s cloud-based performance management app helps providers collaborate on reviewing patient data, while Syngo Virtual Cockpit is designed to heighten access to care.
Geisinger has made a name for itself by being proactive in its healthtech partnerships. Its 13 hospital systems serve 1.5 million customers, and it was recently listed as one of the most innovative health systems in the US. The system will use its new technologies to expand its Geisinger at Home program, which relies on remote patient monitoring systems to allow patients to manage diseases through telemedicine.
Healthcare organizations are looking for new ways to provide virtual care and increase data interoperability in ways that will be comfortable for the patient. On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more providers are integrating virtual solutions into their practice. A recent survey by accounting firm Ernst & Young found that more than half of physicians agree that digital healthcare will become the new normal over the next decade, with 55% of physicians positing that smartphones will become healthcare’s primary interface.
