Latest NewsATLANTA – Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) will introduce its latest home healthcare innovations at Medtrade, the international exhibition and conference which kicks off today at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Borne out of one of the industry's most-watched unions, Philips Respironics, a leader in the global sleep and respiratory markets, will chart its course for the future of healthcare.
Through its leading position in the fast-growing areas of sleep management, respiratory care and noninvasive ventilation, Respironics joined Philips in March in a $5.1 billion acquisition to become the foundation for its Home Healthcare franchise. Philips Home Healthcare Solutions provides innovative solutions that connect patients to their healthcare providers and support at-risk individuals in the home. At Medtrade, John L. Miclot, CEO of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions, will present the group's vision, mission and roadmap for attaining global leadership in the home healthcare market, and will also participate in a panel discussion in the conference's keynote address: "Challenges and Opportunities Ahead – The State of the HME Industry."
"We remain intently focused on anticipating needs and providing valued solutions to the home healthcare market," said Miclot. "Medtrade affords us the opportunity to demonstrate our leadership in the industry and our commitment to our customers. By leveraging our strengths as Philips Home Healthcare Solutions, we will improve quality of life for at-risk individuals through better awareness, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and management of their conditions – in the home."
Attendees at Medtrade will encounter a new 3,000-square-foot Philips Home Healthcare Solutions booth (#2824). The two-level modular exhibit houses Philips Respironics' latest medical technologies, products and services in the areas of sleep management, oxygen therapy, home ventilation and respiratory drug delivery. Other features of the new booth include interactive stations for breathing and product demonstrations, onsite customer ordering and financing services, and private meeting rooms and lounge areas.
Several new products and product enhancements will be showcased at Medtrade. The releases for 2008 range from the EverFlo Q ultra-quiet oxygen concentrator to the SideStream Plus nebulizer and Sami the Seal and Tucker the Turtle pediatric masks. Advances in sleep management include the releases of a full-face gel mask, ComfortGel Full, enhancements for the OptiLife minimal contact mask, and a forthcoming release pending 510(k) approval – the Alice PDx diagnostic system. Powerful patient management and supply replacement systems also will be demonstrated.
Sleep management: patient interface
One of the industry's best full-face gel masks for comfort and stability was introduced in 2008 – the ComfortGel Full. This mask features the popular blue gel replaceable cushion, a comfortable forehead cushion, enhanced StabilitySelector, and unique Sure Seal Technology (SST) in the membrane-thin layer over the gel cushion, which allows wearers to quickly achieve a comfortable seal. The DuoPack replacement kit includes two same-size cushions for easier stocking and improved supply replacement management.
The popular OptiLife minimal contact mask has two enhancements. The new advanced flexible tubing assures that the mask stays in place regardless of the patient's sleep position. New OptiLife product configurations include both the nasal pillows cushion and the new CradleCushion style, which rests under the nose, literally cradling to provide excellent comfort and seal.
The ComfortFusion nasal mask brings comfort and value together into one dependable mask. The mask features a reliable seal, comfortable headgear and an easy-to-fit replaceable cushion. It also comes with packaging options to optimize the management of mask replacement programs.
Sleep management: supply replacement
Philips Respironics is committed to supporting homecare providers in delivering effective sleep therapy. SupplyDirect is a direct-to-patient drop-ship service that enables providers to order OSA replacement supplies, such as masks, cushions, tubing, and filters through a Web portal, which also provides shipping and medical billing documentation. The customized packages are shipped directly to patients' homes on behalf of homecare providers. Part of an overall supply replacement effort, SupplyDirect helps providers increase their focus on patient care, while reducing costs.
Sleep management: diagnostics
The Alice PDx diagnostic system, pending 510(k) approval, will enable healthcare providers to screen, diagnose and follow-up on patients having cardio-respiratory sleep disorders outside of the lab without compromising study results. The flexible portable diagnostic recording device satisfies the requirements for levels II, III and IV. The device offers a variety of capabilities ranging from basic screening to advanced diagnostic evaluation.
The Alice LE sleep system provides an affordable method for diagnosing sleep disorder patients. The system enables sleep labs to satisfy professional sleep testing standards while incorporating simplicity and affordability. Alice LE uses Sleepware, a Windows®-based software program designed to monitor, display, process and download polysomnographic data.
Sleep management: compliance management
The EncoreAnywhere patient management system connects clinicians and physicians to a common view of patient compliance data and information related to their sleep therapy treatment. Through a secure web-based portal and a new wired modem, the entire care team can access timely and accurate data, record and share information, and improve efficiencies and effectiveness of managing sleep therapy patients. With EncoreAnywhere, the entire care team can improve operational activities for achieving and documenting sleep therapy compliance. EncoreAnywhere is being enthusiastically accepted throughout the country as a new paradigm for enabling efficient and effective patient care.
Home respiratory: oxygen therapy
The newest member of the Freedom Series of oxygen therapy products is the EverFlo Q. Producing a typical sound level of only 40 decibels, the 31-pound concentrator is designed to enhance patient satisfaction with ultra-quiet oxygen therapy and reduce costs for providers, such as maintenance, unscheduled patient calls and visits, shipping and storage.
Respiratory drug delivery
With its modern design and features, the SideStream Plus breath-enhanced, reusable nebulizer provides comfortable, effective treatment for children and adults. SideStream's easy-action inspiratory valve opens on inspiration to boost delivery of medication and closes on exhalation to reduce waste. Significantly less pressure is required to open the inspiratory valve compared to other breath-enhanced nebulizers, making it ideal for weak breathers. With its proven five jet-hole design, SideStream Plus provides a high respirable fraction and shortens treatment times.
The new Sami the Seal and Tucker the Turtle pediatric masks are designed to appeal to children while minimizing ocular deposition of aerosol medications during treatment. Tucker the Turtle, used with SideStream disposable and reusable nebulizers, and Sami the Seal, used with the SideStream Plus nebulizer, provide a comfortable, soft seal designed to optimize inhalation of aerosol medication.
Jaundice management
With its one-button operation, parents will find treating their infants' jaundice at home with the BiliTx phototherapy system to be easy and reliable. The small, lightweight device is easy to carry, transport and store. BiliTx's versatility allows parents to deliver phototherapy, which uses state-of-the-art blue LED technology to produce superior irradiance, with a standard fiber-optic panel. It also is 90 percent more energy efficient than devices that use halogen bulbs. BiliTx eliminates bulb and maintenance costs.
Light therapy
A new offering in portable light therapy is the goLITE BLU which incorporates an innovative design and advanced features to provide a comfortable user experience. The goLITE BLU therapy light uses advanced Bluewave technology to provide the optimal wavelength of blue light for regulating mood, energy and sleep levels. Light therapy is a natural and simple alternative to drugs or artificial stimulants for those who suffer from the winter blues. Lightweight and portable, the goLITE BLU is ideal for work, home, and traveling.
Looking ahead
"We are looking to a bright future as part of Philips Healthcare. We're expanding our efforts to simplify healthcare by providing innovative solutions for the home that connect patients to their providers and support independent living for at-risk individuals," adds Miclot.
For further information, please contact:
Colleen Treml
Philips Home Healthcare Solutions
Tel: 724-387-3715
E-mail: Colleen.Treml@philips.com
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 128,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of USD 42 billion (E27 billion) in 2007, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
Forward-looking statements
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
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