Criminal investigators search Siemens office
Philips offers big screen imaging Hansen closes stock offering
Criminal investigators search Siemens office
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Defense executed a search warrant April 22 at the Malvern, PA, office of Siemens Medical Solutions USA, seeking evidence of wrongdoing associated with a government contract between the department and Siemens. The search focused on a single floor of one building on the Malvern campus, according to spokesperson Lance Longwell. Information about the specific contract being investigated was not publicly known.
The Malvern office focuses on healthcare IT, having been the headquarters of Shared Medical Systems, which Siemens acquired eight years ago for $2.1 billion. The floor involved in the investigation, however, is peopled entirely by staff who market Siemens medical imaging equipment, according to Longwell. These personnel work on federal contracts, he said.
Some media reports have sensationalized the investigation, according to Longwell, who cited false reports of Siemens employees being detained. After the arrival of the DoD investigators, Siemens asked employees working near the area being searched to leave for the rest of the day and to return Thursday "for a regular workday," he said. Longwell said the company has fully cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so.
Philips offers big screen imaging
Philips Healthcare has launched what it calls "a new viewing concept" for medical imaging, a 56-inch (125-cm) LCD screen that allows the display of multiple images simultaneously in the user's own preferred size and layout. FlexVision XL, shown as a prototype at RSNA 2008, displays an area bigger than that of six standard monitors. Onscreen layout can be set and changed at any time to present images from multiple video sources. "SuperZoom" function works with advanced image-sharpening algorithms to magnify images to reveal fine details, according to the company.
Hansen closes stock offering
Hansen Medical netted $35.1 million from its now closed public offering of 11.7 million shares of common stock. The net proceeds were tallied after figuring in underwriting discounts and commissions to Piper Jaffray, the sole manager of the offering, as well as estimated offering expenses.
