Research and Development

Software development at CompuGROUP is generally organized centrally and can be broken down into the four main areas specified below:

• Development of individual components of the existing information systems for physicians and dentists, development activity that occurs both centrally and locally.
• Development of platform products, which are independent products, plugged into the physician or dentist information systems via interfaces. Examples include electronic archiving systems or systems for managing appointments and optimizing organizational procedures.
• Development of a new generation of ambulatory information systems that clearly separates business logic from the user interface, as well as the development of a new international hospital information system following a structure similar to the development of the new generation of information system for physicians and dentists. The separation of business logic from user interface makes it possible to implement core functions through one-off development and maintenance work, these functions being subsequently deployed in different products and their individual product user interfaces.
• Development of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software specifically for the use of the Group and Enterprise Ressource Planning (ERP) software.

Individual components are increasingly being adapted by central teams of developers across the sector. Training sessions by external instructors ensure that the teams remain up to date with technological developments.

Group companies are continually working to provide customers with the currently most up to date software solutions and services. To ensure the quality of the products on offer, our development teams work with the latest tools in compliance with internationally recognized standards.

Future generations of software developed by CompuGROUP will be distinguished by having an individualized front-end solution adapted to the individual CompuGROUP product lines, while back-end modules are developed for all main product lines across platforms. This can be described as a "building block principle". In the medium term, this means, especially for the back-end area, that those development activities will become as centralized as possible. The Company is accordingly organizing a central development department for back-end solutions in the area of Health Provider Services (HPS). In contrast, developing and updating the front-end area will remain the responsibility of the subsidiaries. The Company is already anticipating that, despite maintaining a multi-brand strategy in the HPS segment, it will shortly be able to generate synergy effects during development. The platform products are already being developed in accordance with this principle.

In financial year 2009, CompuGROUP made a big impression in introducing a number of new products on the market.

The product innovations described in brief below are the most significant for 2009:

conhIT 2009: CompuGROUP presents new eHealth solutions

During the conhIT, which took place from 21 to 23 April 2009 in Berlin, CompuGROUP presented their eHealth - Highlights for the electronic networking of all parties involved in the health sector. The core of the trade show was the CompuGROUP Future.net - a cross-sectoral based on valid data and service-oriented data structures, which sets new standards in the electronic networking. The solutions MEDISTAR, ISPro, systema.fd-klinika, MUSE and systema.life.CURE are incorporated into CompuGROUP's Future.net. Thus, for the first time the entire eHealth-LifeCycle is displayed: From the doctor above the hospital and the hospital pharmacy through to the rehab clinic and back again to the doctor. Through the synchronization of data not only costs can be saved and resources can be planned at an early stage -also the basis for a faster recovery of the patient is provided.