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Siemens Medical Solutions and Universal Health Services Win Prestigious Collaboration Award from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives


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Siemens Critical Support Efforts Provide Vital Communication Link During Natural Disaster

Malvern, Pa., Oct 26, 2006, Siemens Medical Solutions (www.usa.siemens.com/healthcareit) and Universal Health Services (UHS), King of Prussia, Pa., today announced their designation as winners of the 2006 Collaboration Award presented by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). CHIME recognized the longtime partners for their collaborative disaster recovery efforts executed on behalf of UHS hospitals located in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. CHIME presented the award to UHS and Siemens earlier today at its Annual Fall CIO Forum in the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort in Arizona. Since 2003, CHIME has annually recognized the outstanding collaborative efforts of a CHIME Foundation firm and a CHIME member with this award.

Siemens and UHS were presented the award in recognition of how the two companies pooled their resources, staff and energies in a meaningful way during the summer of 2005 when the damaging winds and catastrophic flooding of Hurricane Katrina virtually destroyed two UHS hospitals located in hard-hit New Orleans--Chalmette Medical Center and Methodist Hospital. Patients and employees were forced to evacuate, and UHS was left with destroyed paper medical records and a lack of knowledge about where various agencies were transporting its patients.

As concerned relatives and friends called for information on their loved ones, UHS established an emergency hurricane command center and received help from longtime partner, Siemens Medical Solutions. UHS was able to create a database of patients as a result of downloading crucial census information from Siemens INVISION(R) healthcare information system (HIS), which was safely located in the data center at Siemens corporate headquarters. UHS immediately began a process whereby it forwarded a comprehensive list of its missing patients to Siemens, which Siemens then divided among its team members. While UHS was receiving calls from family members regarding the status of their loved ones and making calls to healthcare organizations throughout the country, Siemens was contacting all of its customers to see if any of the UHS patients landed there. Also, as various Web sites were popping up with lists of patient locations, Siemens was continually searching the Web and trying to make matches with the UHS patient database.

The Siemens response team of more than 50 service professionals from customer service, hosting, software development, global services and the local Gulf region account team also worked tirelessly to collect medical equipment and supplies, gather helicopters and ambulances and create an effective communication channel with remote assistance for UHS and countless other healthcare organizations that were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

“The devoted staff at Siemens and their dedication to locating our patients and employees is a true testament to the strength of our relationship,” said Steve Filton, chief financial officer, UHS. “Our collaboration with Siemens Medical helped us to carry on more-than-ordinary business during highly extraordinary circumstances. Our teamwork and collaboration allowed us to quickly streamline the communication process to make better use of our time and communicate with hospitals and employees in a more direct, concise manner to improve the lives of many.”

“We are honored to share the CHIME award with UHS and believe it showcases the importance of effective partnerships and Siemens’ commitment to customer service,” said Janet Dillione, president, Healthcare Information Technology Division, Siemens Medical Solutions. “Unfortunately, natural disasters have also brought attention to the vital need for electronic health records. We must continue to push for a national health information infrastructure that provides standardization among healthcare information technology (HIT) systems - meaning that a complete, secure electronic health record is available from any location and is ’translatable’ to any HIT system regardless of technology platforms.”

Siemens partnership with UHS began in 1992 when UHS installed Siemens INVISION. UHS subsequently added future applications, which now include Soarian® Scheduling, Soarian Health Information Management (HIM), Enterprise-wide Document Management (EDM), the HDX® insurance verification system, Siemens Pharmacy and the Siemens Contract Management system, among others.

About the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) was formed with the dual objectives of serving the professional development needs of healthcare CIOs and advocating the more effective use of information management within healthcare. CHIME’s events and activities were designed to reflect that purpose, including CIO-oriented surveys, education programs, and networking activities. With membership of over 1,000 CIOs, CHIME has established itself as the premier organization serving the needs of healthcare CIOs. CHIME’s educational initiatives are supported by the CHIME Foundation, a group of 54 providers of healthcare IS products and services. To learn more about CHIME and the CHIME Foundation, see www.cio-chime.org.

About Universal Health Services, Inc.

Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) represents one of the nation’s leading and most respected healthcare management companies. It operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers nationwide. Founded in 1978, the company now employs more than 35,000 people. The UHS business strategy is to build or purchase healthcare properties in rapidly growing markets and create a strong presence based on exceptional service and cost control. The network attributes its great success to a responsive management style, continuity of senior management and service philosophy based on quality healthcare at affordable cost, competence and integrity. For more information on UHS, see http://www.uhsinc.com.

About Siemens Medical Solutions

Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) with headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and Erlangen, Germany, is one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. The company is known for bringing together innovative medical technologies, healthcare information systems, management consulting, and support services, to help customers achieve tangible, sustainable, clinical and financial outcomes. Employing approximately 33,000 people worldwide and operating in more than 120 countries, Siemens Medical Solutions reported sales of 7.6 billion EUR, orders of 8.6 billion EUR and group profit of 976 million EUR for fiscal 2005. More information can be obtained by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/medical-pressroom.



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