Four U.S. Health Systems Sign on to Improve ICU Care with Philips Enterprise Telehealth Programs

AMSTERDAM -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA) has announced four leading U.S. health systems have signed multi-year telehealth deals with Philips to implement its remote intensive care unit (eICU) program. These new population health management engagements include agreements with Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth in New York), Baptist Memorial Health Care (Tennessee) and BJC HealthCare (Missouri), and will further extend Philips' eICU reach by hundreds of beds and thousands of ICU cases each year. Over the past 15 years, the program has been implemented in more than 50 health systems and 500 hospitals in the U.S. to deliver care throughout 3.5 million ICU patient stays[1].

"As health systems seek to improve patient outcomes while lowering costs, health care leaders often first look at the ICU since it can account for 50 percent of mortality and a third of hospital costs," said Derek Smith, SVP & GM, Hospital to Home, Philips. "The level of care required by these patients demands continuous monitoring. The explosive growth of telehealth in recent years proves the need for these unique delivery models that provide the best care, while addressing the demand to reduce costs."

Connected Health Technology Driving Population Management
The conditions of ICU patients can deteriorate rapidly. The eICU program's telehealth team of remote specialists continuously monitor patients to support the bedside team and proactively identify issues and intervene before they become significant problems. The eICU telehealth team has access to Philips advanced analytics that can process large amounts of data from more than 150 patients, along with data visualization tools that allow clinicians to focus on those  patients who need their attention first.

"Ensuring the best care possible for patients takes on a new meaning when their condition is critical," said Corey Scurlock, M.D., Medical Director for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network's eHealth Center. "While our on-site staff is exceptionally capable, the additional support that a specialized telehealth program like Philips offers empowers us to oversee a larger population and have a deeper insight into those at the greatest risk of needing intervention immediately."

Ultimately, this type of proactive care can help improve clinical and financial outcomes. Compared to patients receiving usual ICU care, patients who received ICU care from a hospital with an eICU program were 26% more likely to survive and discharged from the ICU 20% faster.[2] Additionally, on average, tele-ICUs result in $5000 in cost savings per patient[3], and 1.2 million in savings due to reduced transfers[4].

Increased Access to Critical Care
As the population in the U.S. ages, demand for critical care is rising at a time when the industry is facing a chronic shortage of intensivists. According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, the intensivist shortage will become increasingly challenging, with supply meeting only 22 percent of the demand for services by 2020.[5] Consequently, ICU patients are often cared for by non-specialists. Telehealth enables intensivists to cover wider geographies and provide access to care to more people, while patients stay in their local hospitals. This helps them avoid both transportation costs and the stress of transferring to other critical care centers, while still giving them access to the specialized care they need.

The Philips eICU program is part of a suite of enterprise telehealth solutions delivered by Philips Hospital to Home to help improve outcomes, provide better value and expand access to care. These programs help address multiple cohorts within a population ranging from highest cost patients with intensive ambulatory care and acute needs, to discharge transition and chronic patient management, to  prevention and wellness for the general population. These programs use a proactive care model to clinically transform the delivery of care to address growing clinician shortages while improving patient outcomes.

Philips will be showcasing its integrated telehealth solutions and services at booth #3416 at the HIMSS 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition, taking place Feb. 29 – Mar. 4, at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, Nev. For updates on Philips' presence at HIMSS, follow @PhilipsLiveFrom and visit www.philips.com/HIMSS.