HBSQuarterly

Dear Reader,

Welcome to another addition of the HBS Quarterly. In the ever-changing healthcare market environment one of the best ways to stay attuned to developing technology and fluctuating industry dynamics is through attendance at healthcare conferences, exhibitions and symposiums. In the first quarter of 2005 HBS Consulting’s IMIS team was present at two cornerstone exhibitions; HIMMS and the ECR.

A lack of integration among healthcare IT vendors’ systems is often cited as a major barrier to clinicians sharing data. One of the key highlights of the HIMSS 2005 conference was the Cross-Enterprise and Ambulatory Care Interoperability Showcases, where attendees caught a glimpse of what an interoperable healthcare system might look like, in an event which brought together several healthcare information technology vendors, demonstrating how a patient’s electronic health record could be created and shared in the patient’s home, in a large clinic, a small physician practice or a specialty clinic across several vendors.

In March of this year the ECR in Vienna again presented the radiology community with the ideal platform to launch new products and showcase innovative technology. The unveiling of Philips' latest high-performance ultrasound system, the HD (High Definition) 11 was among the products on show at the ever-growing congress.

On the 11th of April 2005 HBS Consulting will attend the upcoming 31st International Dental Show in Cologne and we hope to include an article on this conference in the next edition. Within this issue we look not only at changes in the trends towards financing capital equipment purchase within the healthcare sector but also focus on technical innovations and market dynamics present within the GI and Cardiovascular areas

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Wood, Consulting Manager Europe