Philips Patient Management Solution keeps patients safe and personalizes care during COVID-19 at leading U.S. medical centers

November 29, 2020

• Boston Medical Center, Yale New Haven Health and Lahey Hospital and Medical Center among the first to extend virtual care options enabling patients to remain safe during radiology exams, medical procedures, general visits, and more
• Cloud-based, integrated digital communications help patients better prepare for appointments while reducing appointment no-shows

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it is working with leading medical centers to help respond to COVID-19 by increasing patients’ involvement in their care with the Philips Patient Management Solution. Outdated patient management practices can place excessive burden on staff, especially during COVID-19. Digital transformation during the pandemic is even more critical  to support staff with automation technologies that help unify and automate communications to patients in real-time.

Patient management is a critical element to help educate patients about available care, provide easier, safer, and timely access to that care, and to improve workflow efficiency for healthcare providers to manage patient encounters in a constrained economic and physical environment as the pandemic ensues. With studies showing that automated reminders can lead to a 41.5% reduction in patient no-shows [1] and a 67.0% reduction in poor patient preparation [2] in challenging diagnostic and interventional procedures, timely education and instructions to patients are essential as hospitals start rescheduling elective procedures.

The pause of elective and some chronic care with patient reluctance to visit hospitals and clinics during COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to a decrease in critical medical procedures, which can impact patient outcomes and put pressure on health system operations. Philips is committed to supporting healthcare providers with clinically optimized, intelligent diagnostic tools designed to increase productivity, improve workflow, and enhance patient and staff experience. Engaging patients through digital strategies is helping healthcare organizations enhance all their patient encounters including radiology scheduling, enabling remote screenings, guiding patients to resources, and providing real-time instructions in rapidly changing conditions.  

“Digital patient management solutions show a high level of maturity for healthcare organizations and enable them to keep patients safe with better personalized care during the pandemic,” said , Chief Business Leader of Precision Diagnosis at Philips. “As a strategic partner to advance digital transformation, Philips has been certified to effectively educate and guide healthcare organizations as they progress through the Digtal Imaging Adoption Model (DIAM) maturity model stages. We are honored to team with these leading U.S. healthcare organizations in their commitment to recognizing patient engagement as a crucial factor in removing barriers to help improve patient care.”

Virtual contactless check-ins enhance patient and staff safety during COVID-19

Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Yale New Haven Health are using Philips Patient Management Solution to aid in patient communication during COVID-19, before, during, and after their appointments. BMC promotes for patients to stay connected with their care providers. The solution sends timely personalized reminders and helpful information about their upcoming telehealth appointments.

Before in-person appointments at the clinic, both institutions use the Patient Management Solution to screen patients using a digital survey to identify possible COVID-19 symptoms. Once the patient arrives for their appointment, the Patient Management’s Virtual Waiting Room functionality is leveraged to enable a contactless check-in process that eliminates the need for patients to congregate in a traditional waiting room setting. It integrates directly with EHR systems to ensure all aspects of the process smoothly embed into practice workflows where all patient communications are centrally stored.

The Patient Management Solution interoperates with the existing IT system to receive enrollment data and return feedback reports as a customer-facing dashboard. Patients scheduled for a radiology scan will receive personalized messaging to help them throughout the procedure. This includes screening for symptoms, protocol preparation instructions, appointment reminders, scan-specific education and expectation setting, last-minute tips, last-mile navigation, and follow-up and feedback survey.

COVID-19 screening for patients receiving in-hospital radiology scans

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center has been using Philips Patient Management Solution as one of their tools to identify patients who feel comfortable to receive care again. The platform facilitates screening for COVID-19 symptoms, getting information to patients about newly established safety protocols, and providing reassurance to put them at ease. Scheduling, access and clinical staff are thus able to focus their efforts on the patients who are most ready to return to the hospital for their care. 

Philips integrated radiology solutions spotlight at RSNA 2020

The Philips Patient Management Solution is being featured in the Philips virtual RSNA 2020 booth experience as an integral component of the new to help improve patient and staff experience while enhancing clinical efficiency and operational excellence. The cloud-based solution previously known as Medumo, which was acquired by Philips in July of 2019, enables modern communication between care providers and patients and serves as a digital liaison to prepare patients for their appointments, help them show up on time, and continue to follow care plan instructions long after their visit or procedure. The solution interoperates with the EMR and can send automated messages through SMS, e-mail, voice, and paper mailings, complementing existing IT and clinical workflows. For more information, visit the . Visit for an advance look at Philips integrated workflow solutions to connect data, technology and people across the diagnostic enterprise, helping to redefine radiology workflow efficiencies.

Philips’ triple duty of care

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight how interconnected the world’s social, economic and environmental challenges are. Philips remains fully focused on delivering against its triple duty of care: meeting critical customer needs, safeguarding the health and safety of its employees, and ensuring business continuity. As a purpose-driven health technology company, Philips is applying its innovation strength to improve the health and well-being of people. The company is deeply committed to doing business responsibly and sustainably, a range of challenging new environmental, social and governance targets.

[1] A Digital Preprocedure Instruction Program for Outpatient Colonoscopy, Richter JM et al. Telemedicine and e-Health VOL. 26, NO. 4 16 Apr 2020

[2] Nayor J, Feng A, Qazi T, Saltzman JR. Tu1044 Improved Patient Preparedness for Colonoscopy Using Automated Time-Release Reminders. Gastrointestinal endoscopy. 2018;87(6):AB507-AB508.3

For further information, please contact:

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Philips Global Press Office

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Philips North America

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About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2019 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at .

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