OU Health Partners with Siemens Healthineers to Improve Health in Oklahoma, Promote Research, Innovation

OU Health and Siemens Healthineers, a global medical technology leader, have entered into a strategic 10-year Value Partnership to bring the latest diagnostic and therapeutic equipment to people across Oklahoma, improving health through clinical care while promoting workforce development and education, research and breakthroughs.

OU Health, Oklahoma’s flagship academic health system, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences and Siemens Healthineers share a vision for improving health outcomes in Oklahoma through the academic health mission of excellence in patient care, research and education. Through the strength of their combined expertise, they aim to transform healthcare delivery with technology and innovation.

“No one should have to leave Oklahoma to access the most advanced healthcare, and this Value Partnership furthers our dedication to that effort,” said Richard Lofgren, M.D., MPH, OU Health president and CEO. “The partnership will serve as a focal point for patients as we apply technology to conditions most affecting Oklahomans, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and lung conditions."

The alliance also will serve as a catalyst for innovative research and training for current and future imaging professionals through OU Health’s creation of the OU Health Sciences Imaging Institute. The OU Health Sciences Imaging Institute will play a crucial role in research investigations that will help drive future breakthroughs. Researchers across The University of Oklahoma will have access to the imaging equipment for their studies, and the institute will facilitate collaborations between clinicians and researchers to translate their discoveries into improved methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating disease.

“Advancing healthcare through research, as well as healthcare workforce development, are strategic aims for OU Health Sciences, and the Value Partnership with Siemens Healthineers significantly furthers those strategies,” said Gary Raskob, Ph.D., senior vice president and provost of OU Health Sciences. “I am excited about our ability to use research and technology to create new health solutions for people across Oklahoma, and to train health professionals who will take that expertise into their own careers. This partnership represents an investment in the people of Oklahoma.

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A key feature of the Value Partnership is the addition of advanced imaging and laboratory equipment, giving OU Health patients access to healthcare informed by the most sophisticated tools for the diagnosis of complex medical conditions. Among them is the MAGNETOM Terra 7 Tesla MRI, the only such scanner in Oklahoma and one of only five in the Midwest. Its high magnetic-field strength helps physicians see even extremely fine internal structures of the body much more clearly. Another addition, the photon-counting NAEOTOM Alpha CT scanner, represents a breakthrough in computed tomography imaging by creating highly detailed images using minimal doses of radiation and contrast for the patient.

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“The most pressing challenges in healthcare — improving healthcare access and building the workforce of the future — can be solved only through partnership and technology,” said David Pacitti, president and head of the Americas at Siemens Healthineers. “Along with our partners, we’re proud to be leading the way in tackling these challenges to benefit the people of Oklahoma.

Along with new imaging equipment on the Oklahoma City campus, OU Health will use Siemens Healthineers mobile technology to provide preventive screenings and laboratory diagnostics across Oklahoma, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

“The addition of this equipment to our campus, as well as the mobile technology that will improve access across the state, is a game-changer for our academic health system,” said Anthony Alleman, M.D., MPH, radiologist and chair of the Department of Radiological Sciences in the OU College of Medicine. “It will allow us to practice the type of precision medicine that leads to better outcomes for our patients.”

OU Health will use Siemens Healthineers technology, such as the syngo Virtual Cockpit, to connect with community hospitals across the state to provide remote imaging expertise for complex patient examinations, especially scans for cardiology and neurological procedures. This technology provides patients with access to more advanced imaging regardless of their location, empowering physicians in community hospitals to make quicker, more precise diagnosis and treatment decisions.

The partnership, along with OU Health’s creation of the OU Health Sciences Imaging Institute, will also address the critical shortage of imaging professionals by training the next generation of professionals on the newest imaging equipment. Residents, health profession students and graduate students across the OU Health Sciences campus will use the Siemens Healthineers technology during their training, positioning themselves to be leaders in their future careers as radiation oncologists, radiologic technologists, scientists and other professionals.

OU educates the majority of the healthcare workforce in Oklahoma, yet many more health professionals are needed. The OU Health Sciences Imaging Institute will help advance that mission, said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “OU is proud to educate the health professionals of tomorrow, and this is an opportunity for our students to gain valuable clinical and research experience while working with leading-edge technology,” Harroz said. “This partnership with Siemens Healthineers is an example of what is possible when academic institutions partner with global companies to address local needs.”