In a single Finnish hospital, Tieto's SMS-based Pre-Call Request reduced cancelled appointments by 20%. The reduction in administration was equivalent to the annual workload of nine nurses, enabling them to focus on delivering patient care. 
Microsoft Corp. announced that its Microsoft Amalga Unified Intelligence System (UIS) 2009 has been selected by Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to transform its approach to hospital management and patient care. 
COCIR welcomes the report of the European Commission's Exploratory Process on the Future of Medical Devices published on 28 January 2010. The Exploratory Process was coordinated by DG Enterprise and brought together all stakeholders, including COCIR, to identify the challenges facing the medical devices industry. 
InterSystems Corporation announced that Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is using InterSystems Ensemble® for an extensive project to rationalise its IT architecture and implement a strategic approach to application integration. The Trust chose Ensemble, a rapid integration and development platform, to implement a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach to increase its IT service flexibility. Microsoft Corp. and Siemens AG (through its Siemens IT Solutions and Services division) have announced the signing of a licensing agreement to introduce Microsoft HealthVault in Germany. HealthVault, a personal health application platform, enables individuals to store their health information including immunizations, disease history and prescriptions in an online account. 
Healthcare reported a 1% comparable sales decline, as strong double-digit growth in emerging markets practically offset the decline in a still soft US market. Growth was strongest at Home Healthcare Solutions, with the successful introduction of the new "Philips Respironics System One". This, together with growth at Customer Services, almost offset declines at Imaging Systems and Healthcare Informatics.