Siemens Healthcare Executives Recognized With New Industry Leadership Positions

Accelerating the Adoption of Healthcare Information Technology through
Industry Involvement

MALVERN, Pa., April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Medical Solutions
USA Inc. (www.siemens.com/healthcare) today announced a series of executive
appointments to new roles and leadership positions in numerous strategic
healthcare industry organizations.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO )
Charlene Underwood, M.B.A., director of government and industry affairs
for Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services, has been elected to serve on
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) board. HIMSS
members provide global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare
information technology (IT) and management systems to optimize healthcare
outcomes. A nationally recognized expert in the field of healthcare
informatics, Underwood will use the breadth of her experience working
collaboratively in diverse communities to develop and support HIMSS
initiatives that leverage the value of current IT investments as the industry
adopts emerging interoperability standards. This will be especially critical
because of the current governmental push to increase access, improve quality
and reduce the cost of care.
"Siemens remains dedicated to furthering the adoption of information
technology in the healthcare industry," said Janet Dillione, chief executive
officer, Health Services, Siemens Medical Solutions. "We are especially proud
of Charlene for her recent nomination and election to the HIMSS Board by her
industry peers and of all of our executives who continue to devote themselves
to working collaboratively with organizations focused on improving the state
of healthcare."
In addition to Charlene's election, many Siemens executives have been
appointed to various industry committees, work groups and panels, including:
Donald Bechtel, chief privacy officer, Healthcare Data Exchange (HDX(R)),
a service of Siemens Medical Solutions, was re-elected to the Board of
Directors of the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) to
represent ANSI-Accredited Standards Committee X12. Bechtel is currently
serving his second term as co-chairperson of the X12N Health Care Task Group,
which develops and maintains the financial and administrative healthcare
transactions used by the insurance industry for Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other purposes.
Hans Buitendijk, M. Sc., senior product manager, was named as a 2007
Health Level Seven (HL7) Volunteer of the Year. The annual W. Edward Hammond,
Ph.D. Volunteer of the Year Award was established in 1997 and recognizes
individuals who have made significant contributions to HL7's success.
Buitendijk was also re-elected to the HL7 Board of Directors. HL7 is an
accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO) that provides standards for
interoperability that improve care delivery, optimize workflow, reduce
ambiguity, and enhance knowledge transfer among all stakeholders, including
healthcare providers, government agencies, the vendor community, fellow SDOs
and patients.
Michael Campana, ambulatory marketing & business manager, was elected as
chairperson of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Vendors Association (EHRVA)
Communications Work Group. The Work Group's mandate is to position the
association, its members and its initiatives, as leading the healthcare
information technology industry in the adoption of electronic health records.
Campana will also continue to oversee the relationship and collaboration with
the HIMSS marketing and public relations teams and direct all external
marketing, public relations and promotional outreach efforts of the EHRVA.
Joe D'Antonio, M.Eng., M.B.A., a senior manager for Soarian(R) HIM product
development, and Denise Dunyak, M.S., R.H.I.A., marketing manager for Soarian
HIM and EDM solutions, were both named members of the American Health
Information Management Association's (AHIMA) Action Community for e-HIM(R)
Excellence (ACE). ACE is a community composed of HIM professionals who are
leading and influencing e-HIM(R) and making a difference in the healthcare
environment. ACE members will assist AHIMA in advancing the HIM profession
through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong
learning. D'Antonio was also elected Chair of AHIMA's, Foundation of Research
and Education (FORE) Board. FORE is the 501(c)(3) charitable affiliate of
AHIMA, providing the financial and intellectual resources to support
continuous innovation and advances in health information management through
research, education and public awareness initiatives.
Susan Matney, R.N., M.S., clinical informatics, was appointed to the
American Nurses Association's Committee for Nursing Practice Information
Infrastructure (CNPII), which is a standing committee of the Congress on
Nursing Practice and Economics (CNPE). The committee develops and implements
strategic plans for managing and preserving nursing's information legacy.
Michele McGlynn, manager of government and industry affairs, was selected
for the eHealth Initiative Policy Steering Committee (PSC). The PSC recommends
eHI positions on key policies from a multi-stakeholder perspective.
Kathleen Ochal-Thompson, revenue cycle product manager, was elected as the
vendor representative for the National Uniform Claims Committee (NUCC) on
behalf of HIMSS and the Association for Electronic Health Care Transactions
(AFEHCT). The NUCC is a voluntary organization that was created to develop a
standardized data set for use by the non-institutional healthcare community to
transmit claim and encounter information to and from all third-party payers.
It is chaired by the American Medical Association (AMA), with the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a critical partner.
Henri "Rik" Primo, director of marketing and strategic relationships for
the Image and Knowledge Management (IKM) Division of the Customer Solutions
Group, was re-elected as chairman of the Medical Imaging Informatics (MII)
Section of the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance, a division of the
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). This is his third
consecutive term as chairman of this section. MII leads and assists the
diagnostic imaging and therapy systems industry in defining domestic and
international policy, regulations, legislation, standardization and guidance
on all equipment, software applications components and accessories used in
medical imaging informatics. As the chairman of the MII Section, Primo also
serves on the Board of Directors of the NEMA Medical Imaging & Technology
Alliance.
About Siemens Healthcare
Siemens Healthcare is one of the world's largest suppliers to the
healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with
core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic
technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information
technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics
acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first fully integrated diagnostics
company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy, and
healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and
support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire
continuum of care - from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy
and care. The company employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and operates
in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2007 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare
reported sales of euro 9.85 billion, orders of euro 10.27 billion, and group
profit of euro 1.32 billion. Further information can be found by visiting
http://www.siemens.com/healthcare .
SOURCE Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc.

Thomas Schaffner, +1-610-448-1477, thomas.schaffner@siemens.com, for Siemens
Medical Solutions USA Inc.