Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, one of the top academic medical centers in the United States, has awarded a five-year, $25 million contract for medical equipment and health IT consulting services to Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. With the addition of Siemens medical imaging equipment and software, Rush will become one of a select group of medical centers in the country incorporating the concept of an interventional platform within its facility.
The upgraded medical infrastructure is a crucial part of the Rush Transformation, a 10-year campus redevelopment plan whose centerpiece is a major new hospital building scheduled to open in January 2012.
The Siemens portfolio of imaging solutions includes both single- and biplane angiography systems that will be used in interventional radiology, neurointervention, cardiac intervention and electrophysiology. These systems are used to visualize vessels and soft tissues for life-saving procedures, such as percutaneous cardiac intervention, complex electrophysiology procedures, carotid stenting, and coiling for brain aneurysms. Once all of the equipment is in place, the facility's goal is to design an interventional platform that encourages collaboration between specialists by placing diagnostic testing, treatment and recovery on the same floor, while providing patients with a single destination for their image-guided procedures.
As part of this strategic alliance, Siemens will also provide high-end computed tomography (CT) scanners with excellent resolution, faster imaging speeds and software to reduce radiation dose. Also included are 3.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging systems (MRIs) designed for neurological imaging, direct-digital radiography systems that can perform an X-ray scan in half the time it usually takes, and digital fluoroscopy units. The CT and MRI units can accommodate patients in excess of 500 pounds, while the MRI scanners are equipped with open bores, which can be especially beneficial when imaging claustrophobic patients.
As a further testament to Rush's commitment to patient care, the Siemens alliance will also include health IT consulting services to provide a more efficient electronic infrastructure for managing patient information and services.
The purchase was enabled in part by a generous donation from Chicago area businessman John M. Boler and his wife, Mary Jo. The donation was intended for Rush to create one of the most advanced imaging centers in the country to better diagnose and treat patients for everything from heart disease to cancer.
"We are looking forward to our collaboration with Siemens in our continuing efforts to deliver the best possible care for our patients," said Peter Butler, president of Rush University Medical Center.
"Siemens is pleased to be selected by Rush University Medical Center to provide the medical infrastructure for its new hospital building," said Randy Hill, interim CEO, Siemens Healthcare USA. "Siemens is committed to being the partner of choice for our customers and providing them with the highest quality products to advance human health."
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