Press Presse Press Presse
Industry Sector
Case Study Building Technologies Division
Zug (Switzerland), February 23, 2010
Better health for hospitals
Hospital administrators and operators get their facilities in top shape for the future: The
goal is to increase efficiency and reduce cost without lowering the quality of treatment and
care. What may sound unrealistic becomes possible, using ground-breaking technologies
from Siemens.
Drastic budget cuts, demographics shifting toward an aging population and increasing healthcare
demands by patients present enormous challenges to hospitals. Many facilities have already shut
down. In Germany, the number of hospitals has dropped by 10% in the last 10 years, to
approximately 2,100. The German Hospital Association (DKG) does not anticipate a reversal of
this trend, just the opposite: “The financial resources available to hospital operators will shrink even
further.” A scary scenario indeed. The Building Technologies (BT) division of Siemens enables
hospitals to keep their costs under control in order to achieve profitability that is so desperately
needed.
The BT portfolio includes fire safety, security, heating, ventilation, climate control and energy
efficiency solutions as well as energy management contracting. Siemens provides financing for
energy savings measures, guarantees its customers a pre-set yearly energy savings rate and
allows them to pay back their investments from the money they save.
The goal of efficiency measures, however, goes beyond simply reducing hospital expenditures.
They also aim at increasing patient well-being and promoting rapid healing. The “Hospital of the
21st Century” opened in early 2009 in the Dutch city of Sittard shows that these lofty requirements
can be met. Here, at Orbis Medisch Centrum, advanced technologies from Siemens are
contributing to above-average patient care while keeping costs down (see box “Siemens
technology at Orbis Medisch Centrum”). Hospital management is expecting to offer healthcare
services at rates that are approximately 10% lower than in traditional hospitals – in an environment
that looks more like a first-class hotel than a hospital.
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Siemens Schweiz AG Public and Press Relations: Marc von Ah
Industry Sector - Building Technologies Division Telephone: +41 41 724-5617
Gubelstrasse 22, 6300 Zug, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]
It doesn’t come as a surprise that patients are referred to by staff as “guests” – and they feel that
way.
Siemens technology helps doctors and nurses to work more efficiently. Siemens has networked
the entire hospital complex, which includes digitizing of all incoming mail, identity and access
management, integration of terminals at patient beds, workplace virtualization, IP networks and
VoIP telephony. With electronic patient files and state-of-the-art document management, Orbis
Medisch Centrum is the first nearly paperless hospital in Europe. Thanks to its custom ICT
architecture, the hospital is able to tailor complex treatment processes even more closely to each
patient while saving costs.
A RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system – that also could be used for people and asset
tracking – ensures the security of personnel at the Orbis Medisch Centrum: In case of emergency,
staff can trigger an alarm through the RFID tag integrated in their personal badge. The wireless
tracking system is easy to use: Readers installed on the ceilings and above doors report the
location and identity of each transmitter to a central server which forwards an alarm to the
personnel in charge.
Fire safety, including the safety of all persons in the facility, was another important issue for the
hospital operator. Siemens installed an innovative fire safety system consisting of detection,
evacuation and suppression components. It is mapped in a danger management system in the
hospital’s command center. In an emergency, patients, visitors and personnel can be directed from
the hazard area to an exit outside of the fire zone by means of visual indicators and loudspeaker
announcements. In addition, the floors most affected by the fire can be evacuated first, followed by
less critical areas.
At Orbis Medisch Centrum, Siemens’ contributions go beyond the safety and security of patients,
caregivers and medical equipment. Compact Monitoring Technology (CMT) is used to monitor the
production of ready-to-use cytostatic agents in the hospital pharmacy. To complement factory-
made drugs, hospitals often produce customized agents themselves. Because of the
environmental conditions involved, this requires significant safety measures.
Using CMT, a total of 15 temperature, 8 relative humidity and 9 pressure differential values are
displayed online and archived. The monitored areas include aseptic preparation,
packaging/storage and access interlocks. An uninterruptible power supply ensures uninterrupted
operation. CMT integration into the hospital’s building automation system has other advantages as
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Siemens Schweiz AG Public and Press Relations: Marc von Ah
Industry Sector - Building Technologies Division Telephone: +41 41 724-5617
Gubelstrasse 22, 6300 Zug, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]
well. Within Siemens, CMT is considered an exemplary technology and was awarded the 2009
Siemens Innovation Award.
At Orbis Medisch Centrum, advanced technology also contributes to the well-being and comfort of
patients and staff. Each bed is equipped with a HiMed Bedside Terminal which can be used by
patients and nurses to control room temperature and lighting and to open and close blinds and
curtains. The terminal also serves as a remote control for radio and TV and provides Internet
access. In addition, the terminal allows doctors and nurses to access a patient’s digital file using a
chip card.
The Dutch hospital of the future is just one of many projects successfully implemented by Siemens.
The Bremerhaven/Reinkenheide Clinical Center in Northern Germany is another facility where
Siemens Building Technologies has demonstrated that it is possible to operate hospitals more
efficiently. Under an energy management contract, Siemens was able to reduce the hospital’s
energy costs by EUR 520,000 Euro annually and to lower its CO2 emissions by 4,130 tons. This
corresponds to a reduction in energy consumption of more than 25%. To ensure sustainability and
economic efficiency, the contract runs for 12 years.
The required facility upgrades and the associated construction work began in April of 2006 and
were completed within 12 month. During this time, Siemens completed approximately 120
individual measures across all facilities (see box “Siemens technology at
Bremerhaven/Reinkenheide Clinical Center”). “The energy savings we have been able to achieve
are remarkable,” says Jürgen Breuer, the hospital’s technical director. The district-steam
consumption for heating, cooking and sterilization was reduced by 6,200 MWh or 72%. Climate
control systems outside of surgery and intensive care do not come on until the outdoor
temperature drops to 2°C. However, before the temperature reaches this threshold, a heat
recovery system extracts enough heat from the exhaust air that no additional heat generation is
required.
Another way to save energy is on-demand heating across all areas of the building. High-efficiency
circulating pumps use approximately 50 MWh less energy each year. The upgraded heating circuit
control system enables room temperatures in certain parts of the building to be reduced during the
night, i.e. outside their hours of use. The bottom line is impressive: Room heating now requires
approximately 5,000 MWh less than before – a savings of 50%.
The use of Siemens technology has helped Hospital da Luz in Lisbon to achieve significant cost
savings: Completed in early 2007, this hospital in the Portuguese capital ordered Building
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Siemens Schweiz AG Public and Press Relations: Marc von Ah
Industry Sector - Building Technologies Division Telephone: +41 41 724-5617
Gubelstrasse 22, 6300 Zug, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]
Technologies’ complete building automation portfolio for comfort and energy efficiency. The goal
was to network as many areas as possible and to allow the hospital to operate as efficiently and
cost-consciously as possible. Siemens was able to meet these requirements. All projects in the
healthcare sector have two distinct areas of emphasis: First, to increase the hospital’s economic
efficiency through a state-of-the-art building infrastructure. Second, to support rapid healing for
patients and to create an optimized work environment for doctors and nurses.
BOX
Siemens technology at Orbis Medisch Centrum (selection):
• Fire alarm and extinguishing control panels allow for cost-effective monitoring and make it
possible to respond rapidly in emergencies. Installed equipment: 11 fire alarm control
panels, 4 fire extinguishing control panels XC10, 1 voice alarm system E100 with 526
speakers and 1 MM8000 danger management system
• Monitoring systems such as access control, intrusion detection and video monitoring
provide maximum security. Installed equipment: 385 cardreaders, 31 SiPass controllers, 53
PTZ cameras and 76 fixed cameras.
• HiMed Bedside Terminals installed at each patient bed allow patients to control the room
temperature and lighting, open and close blinds and curtains, and call a nurse. A
touchscreen is used to control radio and TV. The terminal also offers Internet access.
• Electronic patient files allow doctors and nurses to access patient records anywhere in the
hospital using chip cards.
• An innovative building automation system for heating, ventilation and climate control
provides exceptional energy efficiency, using 3400 Desigo RXC controllers, 103 PXR11
controllers and 22 Desigo PXC controllers.
• Compact Monitoring Technology (CMT) allows comprehensive monitoring of the production
of ready-to-use cytostatic agents.
• Low-voltage power distribution was achieved using Sikus 3200 and Sivacon bus bars,
Sentron 3WL and devices from the Beta low-voltage circuit protection line.
BOX
Siemens technology at Bremerhaven/Reinkenheide Clinical Center (selection):
• Upgraded and modernized the heating infrastructure, cooling equipment, cafeteria
dishwashers, main low-voltage supply and steam sterilizers.
• Integrated a management system and energy optimization programs into building
automation.
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Siemens Schweiz AG Public and Press Relations: Marc von Ah
Industry Sector - Building Technologies Division Telephone: +41 41 724-5617
Gubelstrasse 22, 6300 Zug, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]
• Completely disassembled and rebuilt more than 70 air conditioning systems to meet state-
of-the-art requirements.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of environmentally friendly
production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies and
comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in
the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies,
Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility und Osram. With around 207,000 employees worldwide (September
30), Siemens Industry achieved in fiscal year 2009 total sales of approximately €35 billion. www.siemens.com/industry
The Siemens Building Technologies Division (Zug, Switzerland) is the world’s leading provider of safe, secure and
energy efficient solutions for buildings („Green Buildings“) and building infrastructure. As a service provider, system
integrator and product supplier Building Technologies offers building automation, HVAC, fire safety, security, electrical
installation technology and low voltage power distribution. With around 36,000 employees worldwide (September 30),
Building Technologies achieved a turnover of €5.9 billion in fiscal year 2009. www.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies
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Siemens Schweiz AG Public and Press Relations: Marc von Ah
Industry Sector - Building Technologies Division Telephone: +41 41 724-5617
Gubelstrasse 22, 6300 Zug, Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]
