Our Bucher Käpsele
If that's not a reason to celebrate: Our dual student Kai has not only mastered his bachelor's degree in computer science as the best student in his course, he was also honored by the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) as the "Best Student in the Faculty of Technology".
Kai had already completed internships with us during his school years before he then began his dual studies in our company in 2019 and has been a valuable part of our team ever since.
We are super proud of our "Käpsele" and congratulate from the bottom of our hearts for this special award. It's great that you are with us!
By the way: Not only our students and trainees are top-notch, but also our trainers: Our colleague Bianca was also awarded a commendation for her instructor aptitude test. Congratulations!
We continue to grow: Our new trainees
We are well positioned in terms of personnel for the future: This fall, five new colleagues began their training with us and have since enriched our team.
Software development at BS software development is strengthened by Frieder and Martin, who both started their apprenticeship as IT specialists for application development. Yannick supports the support team as a prospective system integrator.
BS Bucher System Solutions has also gained new employees: Kateryna (not on the picture) and Timon will support our colleagues as future IT system management specialists and IT system integration specialists, respectively. And more reinforcements are already on the way: Jessica will start her training as an office management assistant with us in January 2023.
We are pleased about so much active support and wish all trainees a great start to their careers. We're glad you're here!
QuickTEST in use
Our customers are among the key players in the fight against Corona. That's why, since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been designing ideas and solutions to support them in the best possible way. By the time the first test centers were in the starting blocks, we had finally developed QuickTEST, a software solution that efficiently maps all the steps involved in handling mass testing: from booking appointments to data collection and reporting, to transmitting findings and any follow-up orders and notifications to the health authorities.
And so, as the testing strategy expanded, interest in QuickTEST also grew and more and more customers joined, including large test center operators just as much as smaller providers. One of these first customers was the Schiller pharmacy in Marbach, which operates a test center here that serves as the first point of contact for the population in the town and surrounding area. After the initiator of the test center, Andreas Vogt, was not satisfied with the first test software used here, since it did not work, for example, for reading insurance cards, he came across us and our QuickTEST test software while searching for an alternative. And from then on, everything took its course: "From the very beginning, there was intensive cooperation with the support and development team at BS software development, so that we could actively contribute our concrete ideas and wishes to the further development of the software," says Vogt about the start with QuickTEST.
Since then, well over 100,000 tests have been processed via QuickTEST in Marbach: "At peak times, we had about 900 tests per day. In the beginning, the system was a little bit bumpy. But we are very satisfied with QuickTEST and would not want any other software," Vogt continues. Test numbers have declined since then, in part because of the recent testing regulation. However, Vogt says the decline is not as severe as feared. What the winter will bring cannot be predicted at the "Schiller" test center either. In any case, they are optimally prepared there - both on a professional and technical level.
For us, the Marbach Test Center is a good example of how we live and breathe collaboration with customers within the company. Only through intensive exchange and the implementation of concrete wishes can we align our software solutions so closely to customer requirements and in this way optimally develop them further. This is a continuous process and a win-win situation for everyone involved. And when customer contact is as pleasant as it is with Mr. Vogt, we are more than satisfied.
QuickLIS - Order Entry for Cytology
In most cytology laboratories, incoming orders are captured by OCR scan or entered by hand. Both cost a lot of time and are prone to errors, so that corrections are often necessary. A remedy for this is digital order entry: With QuickLIS Order Entry, the laboratory requirements are already captured completely digitally in the sending physician's office - manual order entry in the laboratory is thus completely eliminated.
When a new order is created in the gynecologist's office, all patient data and diagnoses are automatically transferred from the physician information system and can be supplemented as needed. When entering the order services, predefined mandatory fields help to ensure that no data is forgotten. Consecutive and appropriate selection options eliminate incorrect combinations of examinations. To simplify regularly occurring requests, sending practices can create their own profiles and request cards - uncomplicated and completely without programming knowledge. In this way, laboratory requests can be handled in the doctor's office with just a few clicks.
After saving the order, the transfer slip and the required labels for tubes and vessels are automatically printed in the correct quantity. Only the special labels for slides are printed separately. Meanwhile, the order is already transmitted digitally and encrypted to the cytology laboratory. All data is automatically correct and complete in the laboratory system, there is no need for manual input or checking - this saves a great deal of time and effort. The order can be processed directly as soon as the samples arrive at the laboratory.
Our Order Entry is part of our laboratory information system QuickLIS, but can also be used with other existing laboratory information systems. It has been developed natively for Windows and Mac OS and can also be connected to almost any physician information system.
Would you like more details? We would be happy to present our solution to you in a personal meeting. Just contact us. We are looking forward to meeting you.
E-Fax: Safely informed
In the case of highly pathological findings, rapid response times are essential. Laboratories are obliged to inform their sending practices as quickly as possible about the corresponding findings. However, especially in the stressful daily routine, it is often difficult to reach the practice by telephone and this involves a great deal of effort on the part of the laboratory.
With the e-fax function, this notification obligation can be fulfilled in an uncomplicated manner. To ensure that the sender's practice is guaranteed to be informed of particularly critical findings, printers of the sender can be stored in the system. The corresponding findings are then transmitted individually or collectively and printed out in the practice.
The paper or toner in your practice printer has run out? A monitoring function informs you if a finding could not be transmitted correctly and also provides information about the underlying problem. In this way, you can inform the practice immediately by telephone or, if necessary, take further steps. All steps can be documented directly in the monitoring system.
In addition to highly pathological findings, any other type of document can also be sent using the e-fax function, so that all faxing in the laboratory can be handled via this.
Would you like to convert your laboratory to sending with e-fax? Just contact us and we will show you how it can make your daily work much easier.
BS Customer Days 2022
There are few events we look forward to as much as this one. So last week it was finally time again for our BS Customer Days: Two days filled with valuable insights, practical tips and tricks around our software solution QuickCON and in between a lot of time for interesting conversations and valuable exchange. All this was only topped by record-breaking numbers of participants, which we were very pleased about. So it was more than worth the wait.
This year, our event was divided into different blocks. We had asked our customers in advance for their wishes in order to be able to present and convey all contents as customer-oriented as possible. At the end of the first training day, a joint dinner followed by a social get-together provided a pleasant diversion before the second day continued with a joint brainstorming session. Last but not least, a short outlook on future projects and plans was not to be missed. And so two intensive customer days flew by again and actually ended much too quickly, so that we are already looking forward to next year.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all participants for the confidence they have placed in us. It was nice that you were with us. We hope to welcome you again next year and if you already have ideas and wishes for the BS Customer Days 2023, please let us know.
Our vision
Every person has something that motivates and drives him or her. The same is true for companies - or at least it should be, in our opinion. A good basis for this is a mission statement: a description for the company's self-image, basic principles and goals. A kind of compass for the future that provides answers to the questions of what we stand for, what we want to achieve, and how.
We have been living a common spirit as a team for a long time, even without ever having agreed on it verbally. But a mission statement goes even further: it provides employees with a framework and orientation for their work and shows customers and partners the values and demands of our company - in short, what makes us tick. We have grown and developed rapidly in recent years, so it was time to put our principles and values in writing. However, the development of a mission statement is not done on the drawing board by a single person - it is teamwork.
So last year, in a cross-departmental team of eight employees, we set out to formulate our corporate mission statement. After an initial meeting, we retreated for two intensive days to the beautiful Allgäu region of Germany, where, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we found the creativity and inspiration we needed to achieve the first major milestone: the development of a clearly formulated corporate vision. A vision as a picture of the future and a set of goals should motivate and inspire one's own employees and in this way can strongly influence the success of the company. In the process, we worked our way from the individual ideas of each team member to a shared vision. An exciting process in which we were once again confirmed how much we all pull together to achieve a goal.
Our vision
We are a Swabian, internationally operating software company with the goal of optimizing processes in the healthcare sector in order to preserve and improve one of the most precious goods of mankind - health. In doing so, we remain authentic and make our decisions believing in ourselves and based on our ideals and values.
While this blog is going online, our team is already busy taking the next step. However, more will not be revealed at this point...
Guad gloffa
On Sunday, the whole of Ulm was once again under the sign of the annual Einstein Marathon. The Bucher Group was also represented by a team of 17 highly motivated runners. They started in different distances. The 5 and 10 km distances and in one case the half marathon had to be mastered. Loud support was given by the colleagues at the side of the course, our developer Lukas was even represented with his brass band. So it's no wonder that our runners put in a lot of effort and mastered their courses with flying colors.
We are definitely super proud of you guys!
Bread, games and a murder
It should be no secret by now that we are a pretty playful bunch. So it's only logical that this year's teambuilding would hold one or two challenges in store for us. And this time we didn't even have to travel far.
But from the beginning: It all started very comfortably with an opulent brunch in our cafeteria, where there was such a large selection of delicacies that sporting activities were initially pushed far into the background. But only for the time being, because around noon we went well fortified to the other side of the Danube. At the Face-off in Neu-Ulm, a parkour of 13 games awaited us, in which we had to compete against each other in different teams. There was something for everyone in the different disciplines, so depending on the task, skill, strength or knowledge were required. Whether bullriding, knowledge games or reaction wall - everyone got the opportunity to play to their own strengths and thus fully contribute to the team. And even from the scavenger pit everyone came out sooner or later, but that's another story...
After we had mastered all the stations with flying colors, we had well deserved a reward. We went back to Ulm to the traditional Krone restaurant. Because - surprise - as we all know, eating is also one of our favorite pastimes. In the rustic cellar vault there was another highlight for us: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson took us on a murder hunt in the finest Swabian dialect, which kept us in suspense from the appetizer to the last nightcap. The culprit (no, it was not the gardener) was unmasked at the end with our help.
And so this year's teambuilding event not only provided us with a wonderful and exciting Saturday, but we have also learned something new since then. Or let's say, we are at least pretty sure that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must have been secretly Swabian. As is well known, only clever minds come from Swabia...
A big thank you to all involved, especially to the organization team and the management. You have once again provided for numerous beautiful memories!
Reliable transmission of findings in cytology
The digital transmission of findings often does not yet run smoothly in cytology; the reason for this is often an unreliable EDI system. The laboratories then lose a lot of time resending lost findings to their sending practices. In addition, many software systems only work on Windows PCs and not on macOS.
QuickLIS solves these problems and transfers cytology findings in real time as encrypted LDT files from the laboratory system to the doctors' offices. The practice staff can then manage the findings clearly and download them again if necessary. All files are stored on the server in the laboratory and can no longer be lost! Through the connection to the physician information system of the sender, the findings data are also stored directly here. If questions arise, they can be quickly clarified via chat - saving a lot of time. QuickLIS report transmission can be easily connected to the existing laboratory system without having to completely change your software environment.
With QuickLIS, security comes first: encrypted LDT files meet the highest security standards - comparable to a letter with a seal and certificate. This is far more than an encrypted e-mail or even an FTP client, which in this metaphor would be comparable to a postcard.
Are you interested in a reliable solution for the transmission of your findings? Then try out QuickLIS digital report transmission easily and without obligation! During a trial period of 6 months, you can test our solution with up to ten of your sending practices free of charge and without obligation. There are no costs for you during this time - even if you decide against our solution afterwards. If you are convinced by QuickLIS, you will only pay after the trial period.
You want details? You can find more information on QuickLIS report transmission here. We would also be happy to present our solution to you in a personal meeting. Just contact us. We are looking forward to meeting you.
Done!
One office management assistant, two application developers, three system integrators and two university graduates - this year's graduating class brought us no less than eight freshly graduated specialists, and we wouldn't want to give any of them up again.
Our trainees Esra, Philipp H., Simon, Philipp S., Jan and Ronald have been enriching our team since 2019 and 2020. All trainees have been right in the thick of things right from the start, so they were able to take on responsibility early on and put their knowledge to the test in their first projects of their own. The same applies to Florian and Johannes, who successfully completed their studies in computer science and data science in medicine this year. Both came to us as internship students and wrote their bachelor theses here.
With their concentrated expertise, the now fully trained employees enrich our team. In addition, they are, above all, valuable colleagues whom we would not want to miss in our team. We are all the more pleased that each and every one of them will stay with us to continue actively shaping the future of our company.
At this point, congratulations to all graduates. After the long time of preparation, cramming and writing, you can be justifiably proud of yourselves. We certainly are.
We are also keeping our fingers crossed for our two dual students Kai and Caspar, who are currently in the final stages of their bachelor thesis.
By the way: We are looking for new talent again. So if you are interested in IT in the medical industry and one or the other adventure with our team: there are still training positions available for this year.
Programming blind? We see no problem there
At first glance, Martin's workplace doesn't look very different from those of other colleagues. A desk, an office chair, a laptop - that's about it. But a closer look reveals that there are no additional screens or a mouse. And if you watch Martin at work for a while, it quickly becomes clear that he works differently than the other colleagues. Because Martin is blind.
When the sighted colleagues program applications, they use an integrated development environment. They constantly switch back and forth between several open windows on their screens, compare or click buttons to compile. For Martin, this very visual way of working doesn't work. His headphones are his screen. For this, he uses so-called screen reader programs that recognize text within images and read the information to him. "Basically, my first programming skills were based on rewriting screen reader programs for my purposes. I was forced to customize them to my needs, so that they read aloud only what was interesting to me, for example." Martin, on the other hand, does not usually use a Braille display, an output device that translates digitized text into Braille and functions like a tactile keyboard. This is partly because he was not born blind and only had to painstakingly learn Braille as an adult. When Martin develops, he moves around on the command line and writes scripts that are composed of individual command line commands. But this requires a certain mental model, because he simply has to know certain contexts. Thus it needs at the beginning possibly somewhat longer, in order to learn the code. Once the code is internalized, however, he is often even faster with commands than his sighted colleagues.
Martin has been with us for over two years now as an application developer. He works in the web area and takes care of deployment or automation processes and the containerization of applications, among other things. At that time, the contact was established through a personnel consulting firm specializing in IT professionals. Because of his disability, the job search initially proved to be not so easy for the trained developer. And this despite the fact that he had been programming himself since 1997 and could look back on many years of professional experience even before his training. Even for managing director Jürgen Bucher, the agency's request came as a surprise at first: "A code can consist of complex structures and many programs are graphically structured. Martin, on the other hand, has to have it all read out to him and keep it in his memory. At first, I actually had a hard time imagining that. But we just tried it out!" With success, because Martin has long since joined the team and performs his tasks just like any other developer, but in a different way.
Martin sees himself as a mediator between the worlds and hopes that more companies will dare to employ employees with disabilities: "Often, the hurdles are not as high as many fear. My screen readers, for example, are all open source programs; I don't need any other aids." At many companies, however, he says, internal policies are so strict that often only certain programs may be used and no exceptions are granted. For Martin, it is therefore important to talk much more about accessibility, rather than participation. Companies should ask themselves the question, "How do I make it possible for someone to use their skills?" Martin is a trained professional with the same skills as a sighted application developer, but he is blind.
Picture credits: © Bucher Group
Practice website: The basis for successful employee acquisition
Most medical practices cannot complain about too few patients. This may also be the reason for some to do without their own practice website. In view of the already acute shortage of specialists, however, the website still plays an important role that should not be underestimated.
According to statistics, around half of all doctors in Germany are over 50 years old, making the shortage of doctors a bitter reality in many places. In order to recruit new staff, medical practices must therefore nowadays apply to their potential new recruits and not vice versa. The website is therefore a personal letter of application and the first point of contact for professionals in a hotly contested market.
The importance of online presence for staff acquisition was also the subject of a recent article in the Ärztezeitung. According to the article, it must seem strange to young doctors to come across technologies such as fax machines in their everyday practice. If this new generation of "digital natives" then has to decide between a practice with a modern, informative website and a practice that has at most a Jameda entry - which practice will win the race in the end? So anyone who is seriously looking for specialists has a clear advantage with an appealing web presence. And the competition is fierce.
In addition, a well-designed and functional website also means an enormous time saving for the practice team. Whether current topics and services, job postings and documents: both applicants and patients can obtain comprehensive information on a practice website and do not have to call the practice separately. An integrated online appointment booking and prescription request also ensure free telephone lines and more time for the essentials.
We could now list many more advantages why a practice website is always worthwhile. Due to our many years of experience in the healthcare sector, we know the industry and know exactly what is important for a practice website. If you would like to present your practice optimally on the web, we will be happy to support you. Just get in touch with us. You can find more information about our design services here.
Record-breaking: DMEA 2023
Over 16,000 trade visitors and more than 750 exhibitors from almost 30 countries - more than ever before. With a significant increase, DMEA 2023 ended last Thursday - and we were there again.
From April 25 to 27, the entire e-health industry came together in Berlin to jointly address the most important issues surrounding the digitization of healthcare. The spectrum of content was broad: from ePA to green IT to IT security, everything was there.
We also had another lively exchange with other professionals from the industry at our booth and are pleased with the great interest shown in us here. A big thank you for the numerous interesting conversations and the constructive exchange. In Berlin, we were once again able to gather many valuable impulses and suggestions that will certainly accompany us in our daily work for a long time to come.
Disabling QuickTEST and CWA
Three years characterized by social distancing, masks and regular rapid tests have come to an end and probably no one wishes this time of emergency back. As a company, however, we were able to gain many important insights and experiences during this time that were, despite everything, very instructive for us.
At the beginning of 2021, we developed QuickTEST, our software for rapid testing, and installed it at around 400 test centers. Taking into account customers' wishes, our solution has been continuously developed and optimized. We were also involved in the Corona Warn app and, in intensive collaboration with Telekom and the RKI, connected over 400 laboratories to the app.
Both projects are now coming to an end. The Corona Warn app was put to sleep earlier this month. And we also shut down QuickTEST on April 30. This closes an intensive and exciting chapter for us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for their cooperation and trust in us and look forward to many new exciting projects.
If you still have questions about QuickTEST shutdown, feel free to contact our support.
German Laboratory Day 2023
Promote sustainability
On the occasion of our fundraising campaign in December, when we decided together as a team to forgo part of our bonus and donate it, we had already announced it: The company itself will donate a larger sum to several regional organizations from different areas over the course of the year in order to reach as many people in the region as possible.
We are dedicating this year's first donation to the area of sustainability. A topic that is part of our corporate culture and on which we continuously work to make a difference here as a company. Since we took great care in selecting organizations that are not only regionally based but also reflect our values, we chose an association that - despite its relatively young history - has already made a great contribution to the topic of sustainability.
The association "Haus der Nachhaltigkeit Ulm, Neu-Ulm und Region e.V." (House of Sustainability Ulm, Neu-Ulm and Region) has set itself the task of preserving the foundations of life for present and future generations by acting responsibly in the areas of society and the environment. The declared aim is to "actively and democratically accompany and shape social, economic, ecological, technological and ethical change in Ulm, Neu-Ulm and the region". The association is an initiative of citizens, NGOs, science and companies who all want to make a local contribution to the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. In practice, seminars, lectures, workshops and cultural events are held and advice on sustainability is offered. A repair café has already been launched, and in the future the House of Sustainability will open its doors as a meeting place with a café and concept store, seminar and workshop rooms, offices and co-working spaces .
What this citizen-oriented and grassroots commitment has set up in a short time has impressed us greatly. That is why we support the "House of Sustainability" out of deepest conviction with a donation of € 15,000 and are sure that this sum is in the best hands here to contribute to the sustainable shaping of our future.
German Laboratory Day and DMEA - Visit us in Berlin
Spring is just around the corner and with it the trade show season. We will be exhibiting at two events in the coming months to present our laboratory solutions to a wider audience.
It all starts on March 23-24 with the German Lab Day/BDL Annual Conference in Berlin. And because it's so nice in Berlin, we'll be right back there one month later when the DMEA opens its doors once again from April 25 to 27. At Europe's leading trade fair for digital health, you will find us in Hall: 1.2 Stand: C-106 .
If you are planning a visit to the trade fair and would like a personal meeting, then simply contact us. We will also be happy to provide you with DMEA visitor tickets.
We look forward to seeing you in Berlin.
Fundraising campaign 2021: Long-lasting joy
Even one year after our big Advent campaign, we still receive news about exciting, valuable and heartwarming projects that were made possible by our donations. We are incredibly happy that we are able to directly experience these sustainable positive effects.
What the Ulm/Neu-Ulm education network set up last year with the donation really excited us: at the beginning of 2022, Monika Schmid's team had thought about how the money could benefit as many children as possible over as long a period as possible. What followed was a call for cooperation to schools and daycare centers to submit a funding application together with a potential cooperation partner - formally low-threshold and designed for the long term. Of 20 applications, 10 were finally selected for funding. The result was a colorful mix of projects in the fields of nature, sports, art and political education, which were launched last fall.
And because we are curious, we naturally took the opportunity to take a look at one of these projects at the end of the year: The cooperation between the Hans-Multscher-Grundschule and the Junge Ulmer Bühne (JUB) under the title "Vielfalt (er)leben" (Living Diversity) is a project group in which the students of all grades approach the topic of democracy in school in a playful way with the help of theater pedagogical exercises. The children were eager to get down to business and engaged with various impulses from inside and outside the school on this day.
And the projects at the other schools and kindergartens will also continue to generate great enthusiasm among many children in Ulm and Neu-Ulm until the end of the school year. In any case, we are super happy that we were able to make such a valuable difference with our donation and wish all participating children an exciting time with their projects.
Education fair 2023
The IT and medical sectors are industries with a future. So why not combine the two? No problem with us.
From application development and system integration to media design and office management - the opportunities for your start in professional life are as diverse as our everyday work.
And all of this is topped off by a great team and a beautiful work environment that make it a pleasure to come to work every day.
You want to learn more about us, our training and study offers? Then visit us from 09-11 February at the Ulm Education Fair, Hall: 1 Stand: 108.
We look forward to seeing you!
Review 2022
Annual reviews are such a thing. The Ukraine war, the energy crisis, inflation and Covid - to name just the tip of the iceberg... When you look at the world at the moment, you wonder whether you really need the umpteenth flashback to the past year.
Nevertheless, we find that it is especially important now to pause and consciously look back. To accept what was, in order to be able to look even more clearly into the future. And there are, the bright spots, which are worth to be appreciated accordingly...
This year, our team has been enriched by some valuable new colleagues. Together, we have put in a lot of effort to make a difference. In order to make our customers' daily work even easier and to advance the medical industry a little bit, we have added more smart features to our software solutions in 2022, such as the e-fax function in QuickCON. We were able to further establish our cytology software QuickLIS on the market and are pleased that one or the other trade show appearance was finally possible again. Our BS Customer Days in October were a complete success and showed us once again how valuable the close exchange with our customers is for our daily work.
But beyond our products and services, a lot has also been set in motion: We have defined our vision and shared values and have thus made great progress in developing our corporate mission statement. In addition, we have dealt intensively with the issue of sustainability and will focus more on this in the coming years.
What made us particularly happy this year was the fact that our major Advent fundraising campaign of 2021 bore its first fruit. It was exciting to see what the respective organizations were able to achieve with the donations. Not least because of this great experience, we decided at the end of the year to donate part of our bonus to "Aktion 100 000 und Ulmer helft". A decision that we made together as a team and that says a lot about us and our values. And these values will continue to carry us through the future and guide our work. In any case, we are well prepared for many exciting projects, new challenges and everything else that 2023 has to offer.
As always, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers and partners for the good cooperation and the trust you have placed in us. We wish you a relaxing holiday season and a happy new year.
QC DEMIS adapter
The Gematik DEMIS adapter has been discontinued as of December 31, 2022. In order to continue to be able to reliably report infectious diseases to the responsible health authority in accordance with the Infection Protection Act (IfSG), we have developed a new adapter.
With the QC DEMIS adapter, you can report not only Covid pathogens but also all other pathogens supported by the DEMIS interface. that are supported by the DEMIS interface. An overview of the relevant pathogens can bepathogens can be found here.
The use of the QC-DEMIS adapter is independent of the laboratory information system, but only compatible with Windows operating systems. For authentication against the DEMIS interface, a certificate is required. certificate is required, which can be requested from the RKI. If you are already using the DEMIS adapter of the RKI the certificate is already available and you do not need to do anything else, because the certificate is also available for the QC-DEMIS adapter. certificate remains valid for the QC-DEMIS adapter.
Further information on how to apply for the certificate can be found here.
You can find out more about how it works in the attached flyer. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.