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| Teams consisting of caregivers, clinicians, patients, designers, and IT experts are exploring challenges and ideas for innovation.--Courtesy of Philips |
Royal Philips ($PHG) has started its first center to back digital healthcare innovation at High Tech Campus Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The "co-creation center" is intended to be the first of several global R&D sites in which the conglomerate supports the development of healthcare solutions focused on patient self-management and continuity of care.
The move is part of the conglomerate's ongoing refocus on its consumer and healthcare offerings--which fall under its broadly defined umbrella as HealthTech.
The Philips HealthSuite Labs co-creation center in the Netherlands will collaborate with the regional care network Zorgnetwerk Midden-Brabant (ZMBR), which represents the Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital as well as general practitioners, home care nurses, dietitians and patients in the region. Via HealthSuite, the partners are developing a regional, connected health model for Type II diabetics.
The diabetes program is expects to provide more information and more control for patients, enabling them to set and manage realistic healthcare goals. Also, the idea is to decrease caregiver visits and to increase treatment compliance.
"We need to improve the collection and exchange of data that various professionals and patients collect and make that data relevant and actionable," said Veronique Holtmaat, director of ZMBR, in a statement. "By working with Philips in the HealthSuite Labs co-creation center, we gain access to a wealth of know-how plus insight from other stakeholders across the care continuum and can set the next steps in creating truly collaborative and patient-centric care delivery."
After the launch in the Netherlands, Philips plans to roll out HealthSuite Lab co-creation centers globally. Upcoming centers are slated for Asia and the U.S.
Jeroen Tas, CEO Healthcare Informatics Solutions and Services at Philips, summed up the impetus for the co-creation centers. "Most of today's healthcare budget goes to the fast-growing population of people living with chronic illness. The pressure on global healthcare systems is increasing, requiring them to find alternative ways of care delivery. At the same time, people want to be more involved in managing their own health. Together, these factors are shifting healthcare's focus from traditional hospital-based, treat-when-sick (acute) models towards prevention and continuity of care in or near one's home."
"Our HealthSuite Labs co-creation center will help care providers speed up the development and implementation of new integrated, connected and patient-centric healthcare delivery solutions that enable these new models," he concluded.
- here is the announcement