Siemens Healthineers Partners with University Hospital Nantes for Imaging Technology

Siemens Healthineers and the University Hospital Nantes (CHU de Nantes) in France entered a 12-year partnership. The goal of this partnership is to make innovations in diagnostic and interventional imaging available for several hospitals and their patients across the department Loire-Atlantique, also called Territoire 44. With a total amount of €55 million, this Value Partnership is the biggest one established in France to date.
 
As part of the agreement, Siemens Healthineers will install and service new imaging equipment, collaborating on research and education, allowing efficient purchasing and improving sustainable operations. This will take place in 13 public hospitals that are supported by the University Hospital in Nantes. 
 
“This purchasing strategy is an opportunity for the department’s medical teams and patients as they will benefit from cutting-edge solutions and high-level care – also in the context of the preparations for the new hospital,” commented Philippe El Saïr, CEO of the University Hospital Nantes. “In addition, this bold initiative includes all of our 13 public hospitals in territory 44 and will contribute in a major way to putting the sites on an economically equal footing.”
 
Throughout the length of the partnership, the group of hospitals will replace existing equipment with the latest technological advancements, such as nine computed tomography (CT) scanners, including the option of Siemens Healthineers photon-counting CT technology as well as six magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, also featuring Siemens Healthineers virtually helium-free MRI. 
 
The new virtually helium-free MRI systems by Siemens Healthineers that will be installed reduce the amount of helium required from several hundred liters previously to less than one liter. To help reduce energy consumption, Siemens Healthineers will provide energy monitoring infrastructure and consulting services.
 
Planned installations for image-guided interventions include 30 mobile C-arms equipped with digital solutions as well as a further nine angiography systems supporting interventional neurology, cardiology, radiology, and surgery.
 
University Hospital Nantes also has plans to move to a new main facility by 2027, the program is designed to ensure an optimal transition. Siemens Healthineers will support the hospital’s imaging teams during the move to ensure continuity.
 
At the same time, the established Value Partnership provides planning security due to a clear financial framework. The program is called PIMENT (Partenariat pour l’Imagerie Médicale des Établissements du Territoire 44 – Partnership for the Medical Imaging of the Establishments of Territory 44).
 
The PIMENT program also includes creating a laboratory for fundamental and applied research in medical imaging. Siemens Healthineers will provide seed funding to accelerate local research projects. Employees of the company will support these endeavors over the next 12 years, among them a research director, clinical scientists dedicated to each type of scanner, as well as doctoral and post-doctoral students. 
 
Bernd Ohnesorge, president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Siemens Healthineers, said: “I am honored by the trust that the University Hospital in Nantes places in Siemens Healthineers. This long-term innovation and technology partnership is one of the first of its kind with a leading public University Hospital network in Europe and it is a proof point for our strategy to partner with leading healthcare providers to support them in shaping the transformation of healthcare. Also, the PIMENT program will enable us to jointly move forward in establishing more sustainable delivery of patient care while enhancing clinical outcomes through scientific collaboration – always having the benefit of patients in mind.”
 
To improve sustainability, Siemens Healthineers will upgrade MRI systems to significantly extend their lifecycle. The latest generation of hardware and software can be installed around existing magnets, which enhances clinical capabilities while saving resources and reducing the equipment’s environmental footprint.