The Ethianum in Heidelberg is one of the first clinics in Germany to align itself consistently according to sustainability criteria, thus making it a hospital in keeping with the spirit of Siemens' Green+ Hospital Program. Working in partnership with the Ethianum, Siemens has developed and implemented comprehensive solutions: These include energy management, patient care, and the communications infrastructure. In this way Siemens supports its customer in integrating factors like environmental protection, quality of treatment, and efficiency into the day-to-day processes of its organization. The Ethianum opened its doors in July 2010.
The Ethianum is a Heidelberg-based clinic specializing in plastic surgery, aesthetic surgery and preventive medicine. It is one of the most advanced clinics in Europe. Green+ Hospitals is a program launched by Siemens to align its healthcare portfolio toward sustainability. Siemens thus provides its customers with environmentally friendly solutions in harmony with economic efficiency and high quality for patients.
"A major concern for us, particularly also with regard to ecological aspects, was to act responsibly and develop a clinic that sets standards in healthcare in terms of sustainability," explained Dr. Peter Görlich, Director of the Ethianum. "Thanks to the solutions from Siemens we don't just reduce our energy requirements to a minimum. More importantly, they support our objective of establishing short examination times and structured treatment paths as the standard in healthcare," added Görlich.
"Traditionally a pioneer of new developments, Siemens faced up to its social responsibility for mankind and the environment years ago. Today, Siemens is a market leader in green technology. With its Green+ Hospitals portfolio, our company sets standards in terms of sustainability. Green+ Hospitals is the key to more "green", quality and efficiency, from which the environment, hospital operators and patients will benefit in equal measure," said Wolfgang Bayer, Healthcare Sector CEO, Siemens Germany.
"The Ethianum is comprehensively geared to patient-friendly treatment and intelligent examination workflows, to the benefit of our patients and our staff," said Prof. Dr. Günter Germann, Medical Director and co-founder of the Ethianum. "Our multimedia terminals installed directly at the patient's bedside also contribute to high standards in patient quality, enabling the patient to interact with clinic staff and access personal examination appointments or treatment plans."
Energy management
As a solutions provider, Siemens ensures cost-effective and energy-efficient operation of the Ethianum's building technology, including e.g. heating, ventilation and cooling systems. The investment in leading-edge building technology is calculated over the entire lifecycle. About 80 percent of the costs for a building are incurred in the operating phase, with 40 percent of this being energy costs alone.
Building automation systems from Siemens also ensure seamless interaction of all components and technical systems. Intelligent building management enables the complex processes in the technical systems to be visualized and the operating characteristics to be optimized accordingly. This puts the clinic in a position to achieve savings without sacrificing convenience. Siemens also provides data for what are called "green building monitors". In this way the company creates the basis for displaying all current energy consumption in the building at a glance, and also keeps users informed with weather forecast data and energy-saving tips.
Quality for the patient
The Ethianum aims to make diagnostic examinations as pleasant as possible for the patients. With this in mind, Siemens has supplied the Magnetom Verio, a high-field magnetic resonance (MR) tomography scanner with a particularly large 70-centimeter opening bore. This is especially considerate of patients who tend to suffer feelings of anxiety. Siemens' innovative Tim (Total imaging matrix) technology significantly shortens examination times in the MR scanner and so helps patients and staff complete the examination more efficiently. Magnetom Verio delivers clinical images of very high quality and at the same time operates extremely economically in terms of resource usage, and is environmentally friendly since the magnet has a closed helium cycle. This means that no helium escapes and so there is also no need to replenish this expensive raw material.
Previous experiences from real-world practice show that many patients feel more at ease and relaxed if the examination room is not decorated in a clinical white. Specialist medical staff and physicians also affirm that they feel a colorful ambience creates a much more pleasant working environment. Accordingly, Siemens has designed the MR room with a light installation. A 1.77 by 1.40 meter Ethianum logo bathes the room in different colors, thus creating a friendly atmosphere for all involved.
Radiography, too, stands under the aegis of "sustainability" in the Ethianum: The Axiom Aristos VX Plus digital X-ray system requires neither X-ray films nor developer chemistry and saves technicians having to perform many of the usual operating steps. A detector, similar to the photo chip in a digital camera, captures the image data and converts it into electronic X-ray images. At the same time the radiation dose can be reduced considerably compared to conventional film and cassette based technologies. The images are then sent directly from the X-ray system over a data network to the examining physician's workplace, where they can be post-processed and viewed. The physician can then immediately discuss the results with the patient. Additionally, Ethianum procured an Acuson S2000 from Siemens. The primary use of this high-end ultrasound system will be for vascular examinations as well as those of the abdomen and heart. The ultrasound system is a highly versatile device. The clinic can ensure the investment through upgrades in the future and the deployment of additional options for the Acuson S2000.
Efficient communication
An intelligent communications network supports the physicians and specialist medical staff in delivering the best possible care to patients in the Ethianum. The HiMed Cockpit, a 15-inch monitor with keyboard, gives patients their own multimedia console, with television, video and internet access, at their bedside. Thanks to a personalized chipcard, physicians and specialist medical staff have secure access to the sensitive data of the hospital information system. This optimizes processes in the hospital, with energy savings as an added bonus, makes the latest patient information available faster, and smoothes the way to a paperless hospital. What's more, the Cockpit also allows patients to control the climate in their room.
All the data runs via the Enterasys LAN and WLAN network. All communication, from telephoning to calling a nurse, is IP (Internet Protocol)-based. The Ethianum uses IP telephones from the OpenStage and Gigaset series as terminals in its departments. These have a reputation as the most energy-saving devices of this type on the market.
Background information: Green+ Hospitals
Green+ Hospitals is a program launched by Siemens to align its healthcare portfolio toward sustainability. Siemens thus provides its customers with environmentally friendly solutions that are in harmony with economic efficiency and optimum quality for patients. This means, for example, that Siemens helps its customers
- to comply with emission regulations and at the same time respond to increasing electricity and gas prices with new solutions
- to respond to changes in the compensation system with optimized workflows and greater sustainability
- to generate competitive advantages through higher quality and patient comfort.
Related news articles:
- Siemens Healthcare's Profile
About Ethianum - Clinic for Plastic-Reconstructive and Esthetic Surgery and Preventive Medicine at the University Clinic Heidelberg
The Ethianum is a privately-run clinic under the medical direction of Prof. Dr. Günter Germann, with its registered office in Heidelberg. The range of services offered includes preventive medicine as well as reconstructive and plastic surgery. The clinic cooperates closely in the clinical and academic domain with the University Clinic Heidelberg. For more information, visit www.ethianum.de.
About Siemens Healthcare
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.