Philips Helps Clinicians Increase Imaging Department Efficiency At The European Congress Of Radiology 2009

Main Category: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Article Date: 09 Mar 2009 - 3:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions

At the European Congress of Radiology, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI) launched Philips Utilization Services to help healthcare providers provide enhanced patient care by pinpointing and reducing unproductive time in imaging departments.

Developed by Philips and based on its understanding of the complexities that hinder healthcare professionals from delivering patient-centered care, Philips Utilization Services enable clinicians and managers to make the best use of imaging technology. Philips' workflow experts analyze information on how imaging technology is used, such as the length of time that scanners are idle, the time between scans, and how long patient changeovers take. Using this information they help imaging departments develop and implement sustainable solutions that maximize the potential of a department's technology resources.

"By providing imaging departments with detailed usage information we're enabling them to become more time efficient, potentially resulting in better patient care and the ability to serve more patients with the same resources," said Michiel Manuel, senior vice president and general manager for customer services, Global Sales & Service International, Philips Healthcare. "The data can be particularly valuable when deciding how and when to upgrade or transition to a new system."

By providing details on how CT and MR scanners are used, it is possible to improve throughput. Philips Utilization Services' detailed and easy-to-interpret reports are automatically generated and updated daily. Philips Utilization Services can be used to enable hospitals to achieve quality improvements, streamline workflow, increase the number of patients scanned, reduce waiting lists, and optimize their return on investment.

Each usage report is accompanied by a comprehensive guide that explains the data and suggests steps or opportunities for improvement. Each of these 'Companion Guides' was developed by experts in the area of departmental workflow and provides insights and suggestions as to how imaging departments can meet their clinical and business objectives. The service is only available on CT and MR devices manufactured by Philips.

Achieva 3.0T TX showcased for the first time in Europe

At the European Congress of Radiology Philips also showcased its new 3.0T MRI scanner for the first time in Europe. The Achieva 3.0T TX enhances image quality, provides up to 40 percent greater scanning speed and helps ensure fewer retakes through increased image uniformity. Capturing the correct information on the first scan in a shorter amount of time delivers more convenience to the patient and increases patient throughput potential for healthcare providers. Additionally the new scanner provides consistent results across a broad range of clinical applications and patient sizes.

In the past, 3.0T imaging has been challenging for certain clinical procedures due to dielectric shading effects and local specific absorption rates (SAR). Philips' new, proprietary, MultiTransmit technology addresses these issues at the source with multiple RF transmission signals that automatically adapt to each patient's unique anatomy. As a result, the new Philips MRI scanner delivers superb diagnostic images for even the most demanding high field applications such as breast and liver imaging.

For further information, please visit us at the European Congress of Radiology, Booth 102, EXPO A at Austria Centre, Vienna. You can also visit our website at http://www.philips.com/ECR.

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 121,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 26 billion in 2008, 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 http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

Royal Philips Electronics