COVID-19 Patient App
In view of the current situation regarding the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the main thing is to save time. We have therefore been working flat out in recent days on a new patient app that will ensure faster processes in diagnostics.
The app informs patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 about their findings by means of a traffic light system. In the event of a positive result, all necessary measures can be initiated as quickly as possible.
For this purpose, the collection centers for COVID-19 tests receive label sheets, each with two QR codes that belong together. When a swab is taken from a patient - for example, at a drive-in test station - the patient receives a label. the patient receives a label. The patient can download the app from the relevant app store and log in using the QR code or the ID number on the label. The sample is sent to the laboratory together with the second barcode. Here, the barcode for the order (in any LDT-relevant data field) is scanned. The finished report is exported and scanned in the laboratory for a possible COVID-19 examination and an existing BS order code. The findings result for this order code is entered on the central server. As soon as the findings are available, the patient receives a push notification.
With our app, the patient is informed about his test result in real time , which is clearly displayed by means of a traffic light system. This eliminates the need for a telephone query, thus relieving the burden on the responsible departments and keeping the telephone lines free. This saves valuable time.
The app can be downloaded free of charge from the respective app store and is compatible with all laboratory information systems. The tools for the laboratories are ready to use. In addition, thanks to the HERMA company, we have free labels for 125,000 tests that can be forwarded directly to interested laboratories.
Some large laboratories are already using our app. If you are also interested, please feel free to contact us.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
School and then?
With this question in mind, many of the more than 40,000 students surely arrived at the 10th Ulm Education Fair, which ended on Saturday after three eventful and informative days. 280 exhibitors in 7 halls were well prepared to give many a visitor an answer to this question and to show them perspectives for starting their careers.
We were there for the first time as an exhibitor to present our training and study opportunities and, not least, our company itself. The focus of the many discussions was on our apprenticeships and degree programs in the IT sector. But also the possibility of an apprenticeship in the commercial sector or a dual study program for media design were very popular with the students. Many of them came to our booth specifically and well prepared to learn more about the Bucher Group and the healthcare IT industry.
And so we take away not only the one or other exciting resume of a potential junior software developer, but also many impressions about what moves young people in search of their professional career. This encourages us to continue to focus on the topic of promoting young talent and training. So there's no question that the next Ulm Education Fair in 2022 is already an absolute must for us.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
Information security - we are certified!
The topic of information security is of enormous importance, especially in the healthcare sector. As a software-developing company in this industry, we have a particularly great responsibility. We are aware of this and take this responsibility very seriously.
In recent months, we have therefore worked intensively to give the protection of sensitive information a solid foundation and to build up our information security management system (ISMS for short). The ISMS defines rules and methods to ensure information security in the company and is thus an important building block for our business success.
The audit for ISO/IEC 27001 finally took place shortly before Christmas. We are pleased about the successful certification and take this as an incentive to continue to actively live and continuously develop the ISMS in the company. After all, incidents such as the recently disclosed Log4J security vulnerability make us all aware of how important it is to stay on the ball when it comes to information security.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
Annual review 2021
At this point, there could be a similar text as last year. Our lives are still marked by Corona with all its consequences and challenges - both in our private and professional lives. But there have also been bright spots that are worth looking back on, perhaps especially now.
In the fight against the pandemic, we as a company did what we do best: react quickly to new circumstances, create solutions and apply our know-how where it is needed. This is how we developed our QuickTEST rapid testing software, equipping over 500 test centers across Germany. Millions of test results could thus be transmitted digitally and sent securely to the persons concerned . With great dedication, our team has mastered many a challenge and also implemented special customer requirements.
We have not been idle away from Corona either. Our Order Entry has been in use at many of our customers since this year and ensures fully digitalized processes. We are also pleased to announce the launch of our cytology software QuickLIS, which facilitates all work steps in the cytology laboratory - from order entry to quality management. In addition, there are several web-based developments and innovations that should make our customers' daily work a little easier in these stressful times.
And as in previous years, our team has grown a bit again. Thus, since this year six new employees enrich our company and do a great job here.
We know that we work in an industry that has its hands full, especially now, and is therefore doing well economically. And because we have never taken this for granted, our donation this year is a little larger than before. With our Advent campaign, we have donated €100,000.00 to organizations from various sectors and we are very pleased to be able to give away some of our success in this way.
We look to the coming year with hope and are excited to see what it will bring. Because even if the pandemic will accompany us for a longer time, it is always worthwhile to remain optimistic and continue to give your best.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
4th Advent: 40.000,00 € for medicine
Our work is closely linked to medicine. We are committed to advancing processes in the healthcare sector and always develop our software solutions with a view to the requirements needed here. Therefore, we also know what this industry moves and achieves on a daily basis. To pay special tribute to this, we are opening an Advent door for the medical sector. A total of € 40,000.00 will go to Ulm University Hospital, which does great work for the region and beyond.
Of this donation, € 20,000.00 will go to the Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicinewhich provides the youngest patients in our region with comprehensive and high-quality care, including in specialized areas, . In order to achieve the best possible results in treatment, the latest diagnostic and therapeutic concepts are always applied. To this end, the more than 400 employees work around the clock.
But the topic of research is also of enormous importance in understanding the mechanisms of diseases and further improving their treatment. We are therefore pleased that our donation will benefit the leukemia and tumor research groups. Here, among other things, approaches are being sought to overcome therapy resistance in leukemias, neuroblastomas and brain tumors. The research results obtained so far have already contributed to the development of new drugs in cancer therapy and are being incorporated into an international study group on the treatment of childhood leukemia. We are pleased to be able to make a small contribution with our donation to the Children's Hospital's so important research in the fight against cancer. The medical director of the Children's Hospital, Prof. Dr. med. Klaus-Michael Debatin, the head of the leukemia research group, apl. Prof. Dr. med. Lüder H. Meyer, and the two doctoral students Amina Hadzalic and Hannah Strobel were present at the symbolic check presentation.
A further € 20,000.00 will go to the KlinikSchulVerein Ulm e.V. of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy. The clinic does valuable work to understand, educate and treat children and adolescents with mental illnesses and their families in the best possible way. Since the pandemic began, however, clinical care has faced particular challenges. Not least because children and adolescents with mental illness and their families have been most burdened by lockdowns and school closures.
Children of school age who are in long-term inpatient or day-care treatment at the Ulm University Hospital usually attend the Hans Lebrecht School. The Hans Lebrecht School ensures that the young patients can continue to experience a normal school day despite their treatment and thus do not lose their connection to school. In 2002, the KlinikSchulVerein Ulm e.V. (Ulm Clinic School Association) was founded to support the students with learning materials as well as with basic necessities such as clothing, trips home and the like. The help provided here goes beyond compulsory care and is intended to be as uncomplicated as possible. Here, too, social inequalities have become even more apparent since the beginning of the pandemic. In a second area of activity of the association, local artists carry out art projects together with the patients, which provide the children with special experiences and many great memories. Here, too, we are convinced that we can give something back in this way. The medical director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Prof. Dr. med. Jörg M. Fegert, and the director of the Hans Lebrecht School, Ms. Dorothee Blaumer-Hänle, welcomed us to the rooms of the clinic school for the symbolic check presentation on Tuesday.
3rd Advent: 20.000,00 € for the environment
Sustainability, environmental and climate protection are not a private matter. As a company, we also bear responsibility and are working to advance these issues. We believe that sustainable corporate management always pays off in the end and that everyone benefits from it. With this in mind, we are opening an Advent door in our fundraising campaign for organizations that are involved in sustainability, environmental protection and nature conservation on a daily basis.
10,000.00 will go to the Ulmer Initiativkreis nachhaltige Wirtschaftsentwicklung e. V. (unw), which has set itself the task of strengthening ecological awareness in the region's business enterprises and among the population. In doing so, unw acts as an active mediator between business, science and society with the aim of working together, for each other and for a better environment. In addition to education, knowledge transfer and project management, the activities also focus on the promotion of educational measures in order to provide the knowledge for ecologically sensible actions and sustainable measures. The unw's concrete measures include the "Climate Trainees" project, which was launched in October and aims to raise awareness among young people starting their careers of the need for sustainable development and to support concrete commitment in their professional and private lives. In addition, unw organizes a variety of other projects as well as regular lectures and discussion rounds. For the symbolic handover of the check, we had the pleasure of welcoming the 2nd Chairman and Managing Director of unw, Kai Weinmüller, to our premises.
A further € 5,000.00 will go to the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz - BUND e.V. Donau-Iller Regional Association and the Ulm District Association (BUND). With the vision of a sustainable country in a sustainable and peaceful world, the BUND is committed to active environmental protection with various projects. These include, for example, the "Hermannsgarten" at Ulm's Kuhberg - a meadow orchard where old native varieties are specifically planted and cared for. Many children from Ulm visit the garden every year and, in addition to tasty apples, also gain valuable knowledge about nature. In addition, there are numerous other projects worth supporting around the topics of nature conservation and biodiversity, urban development, environmental development and more. For the symbolic check handover on Tuesday, the regional manager of BUND Jana Slave welcomed us to the Ulm office.
We also donate € 5,000.00 to the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany Group Ulm/Neu-Ulm (NABU)which has been working for nature conservation in and around Ulm for many years. NABU's tasks include providing nesting aids for native bird species and caring for injured or orphaned found birds. In addition, tours, excursions and family afternoons are offered, which are open to all interested parties. Another, larger project is the nature reserve "Arnegger Ried" in the Blautal. The fen is a lowland moor that is home to many rare and endangered species. Part of the area is grazed by cattle in the warmer months, helping to restore the lowland moor character of the area. With this project, NABU shows that nature conservation and agriculture do not have to be opposites. At the symbolic handover of the check, a few of our employees were already allowed to take a first look at the Arnegger Ried. Also present were the volunteers of the local NABU Michael Rau, Julia Obenauer and Diana May.
All three organizations make a valuable contribution to our environment. We are convinced and grateful to make a small contribution with our donation.
2nd Advent: 20.000,00 € for education
Education is of great importance to our society. It plays a decisive role in determining life opportunities and guarantees cultural and social participation. The pandemic has shown that education is all too often not a matter of course and cannot be valued highly enough. That is why we are opening a "little door" of our Advent campaign for this so elementary area.
A donation of € 15,000.00 goes to the Education Network Ulm/Neu-Ulm. This cross-town project has set itself the task of networking schools and daycare centers with external cooperation partners. In this way, the various institutions are given the opportunity to take advantage of educational offerings in a wide range of areas - from sports and nutrition to the environment, culture and digitization.
One of the foundations for the network's work is the Ulm Education Initiative, which was launched back in 2000. A key guiding principle here is equity of opportunity, which encompasses both the promotion of children and young people, the relief of families and the integration of marginalized and at-risk groups. Mitigating the impact of pandemics has also become an important issue. One challenge in coordinating the collaborations is often the start-up funding for the individual projects. We hope that our donation will contribute to this important work, so that as many children and young people as possible in our region benefit.
The symbolic handover of the check took place in time for St. Nicholas Day on December 6 at Ulm City Hall. The head of the educational network Ulm/Neu-Ulm, Mrs. Monika Schmid, the second mayor of the city of Ulm, Mrs. Iris Mann, who is responsible for the departments of culture, education and social affairs, as well as the head of the department for education, culture, sports and social affairs of the city of Neu-Ulm, Mr. Ralph Seiffert, were present.
In addition, € 5,000.00 goes to other projects. These include the annual donations to our partner school, the Bertha-von-Suttner-Gymnasium in Pfuhl, and to the Verschwörhaus in Ulm. We also support the Erich-Kästner elementary school in Ludwigsfeld in staging a play.
1st Advent: 20.000,00 € for the region
The region of Ulm and the surrounding area is economically strong and is one of the more prosperous parts of the country. But even here there are fellow citizens who are not doing so well. Whether they are single parents or elderly people whose pensions are barely enough to live on - they are all in need, usually through no fault of their own, and are dependent on help.
Exactly these people are taken care of by the "Aktion 100.000 and Ulmer helft". For 50 years, this initiative has been known for providing uncomplicated and quick help - unbureaucratically and with a lot of commitment. The self-declared goal is to alleviate hardship in the region and to treat our fellow human beings with more respect and humanity. To this end, donations are collected and taken to exactly where the need is greatest. For example, just before Christmas, 1,500 checks are sent directly to people affected by poverty. In addition, social and charitable organizations and projects are supported to ensure their continued existence.
The 100,000 campaign is supported by income from events and donations. The latter are all the more important this winter, when events can once again not take place due to corona. We are therefore all the more pleased to support this commitment and are convinced to place our donation of € 20,000.00 in trustworthy hands so that it reaches directly where it is most urgently needed.
For the symbolic handover of the check, we were pleased to welcome the head of organization of the campaign Karl Bacherle as well as the campaign editor of the SWP Birgit Eberle in our premises.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
QuickDESIGN – für den entscheidenden ersten Eindruck
A professional and authentic external presentation is also an absolute must for medical facilities. The practice website is usually the first point of contact for new patients. An individual design ensures a high recognition value and turns your facility into an unmistakable brand.
We combine competencies in the areas of design, marketing and industry-specific know-how in the healthcare sector. So we know what is particularly important when it comes to designing your external communication. Together we develop a corporate design that suits you and stands out from the competition. When creating your web presence, we pay attention to every detail - from user-friendly usability and appropriate content to search engine optimization and regular maintenance of your website. In addition, we provide communication tools that leave an impression and, if desired, we also take care of the printing. We are also happy to take care of the professional photo shoot of your facility to put it in the right light.
To round off our service portfolio, we also advise you on the subject of practice start-ups and digitization. Through the Bucher Group network, we have extensive expertise in this area.
You want to learn more? You can find more information here. Or simply contact us and let us advise you. We look forward to hearing from you!
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
Training days above the roofs of Ulm
Our second training days under pandemic conditions and more participants than ever before - no problem at all with a little organizational skill and compliance with hygiene requirements. Quite the contrary. We are pleased about the great interest in our products and innovations and attach great importance to the intensive exchange with our customers. That's why our annual training days are among our most important events, and we wouldn't want to miss them under any circumstances.
Once again, the two days were filled with a wealth of information about our latest developments and enhancements. For example, our Order Entry was presented to the participants in an intensive hands-on training. In addition, the focus was on the innovations around the LabMessenger. Furthermore, our new statistics module was presented with the help of clear examples, before a small foretaste of our future development projects was given at the end. In between we could let our eyes wander over the roofs of Ulm and enjoy the view of the Ulm Cathedral.
After this intensive workshop, of course, a little diversion was not to be missed and what could be better than a short ride? The historic streetcar took all participants on a tour of discovery through the beautiful city of Ulm, and then the evening was brought to a rounded conclusion with good food and pleasant conversation.
We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all participants for their trust and their contribution to two successful training days. It was nice that you were with us. We are already looking forward to next year.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
Einstein Marathon 2021 - We were there!
The first weekend in October started in the same way and continued in an extremely sporty manner.
With the Ulm Einstein Marathon, a small but fine running team from the Bucher Group took on the next challenge. Despite tired legs from the Allgäu Team Challenge the day before, our sporty colleagues gave their all and put in a brilliant performance at the Liqui Moly City Run over a distance of 10 km along the Danube. All members successfully crossed the finish line and could rightly be very proud of themselves. We certainly are.
Great performance, you jocks!
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
Allgäu Team Challenge 2021
It's no secret that we in the Bucher Group have a certain soft spot for the mountains. So there couldn't have been a better setting than the Allgäu for our teambuilding this year. Early in the morning, we took the coach to Oberstaufen, where we were greeted by bright sunshine and late summer temperatures, as well as the team from the Jürgen Koch Activity Center.
We started with a hearty snack to fortify ourselves for the team challenge that followed. And that was quite a challenge : divided into groups, we had to master various tasks and stations together, which challenged our team spirit and sportsmanship in equal measure. Everyone got their money's worth - whether it was a daredevil quad course, stick shooting or tree trunk sawing. The whole thing was rounded off by a GPS-guided hike through the picturesque area around Oberstaufen, where all teams made it back to the finish line in the end - albeit sometimes via detours. Afterwards, it was time to gather strength and give everything at the human kicker tournament, which was mostly fair and impressively showed that our team also has some real soccer talents. Finally, we were able to refuel our reserves at a brilliant Allgäu BBQ before we started our journey home to Ulm.
A big thank you goes out to the team of the Aktivzentrum Jürgen Koch and especially to our colleague Corinna, who organized the wonderful day for us and thought of everything. We are already looking forward to the next Challenge.
