Press Release

Philips and Achmea to launch first European pilot study of TV-based system for patients to manage health at home

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) and Achmea (part of the Eureko Group), today announced they will launch a 12-month pilot study to evaluate an interactive, personalized healthcare communication platform that connects chronic disease patients at home to their care provider via their television. Zilveren Kruis Achmea, one of the largest healthcare insurers in the Netherlands, will conduct this first European study of Philips’ new broadband-based platform – called Motiva. In this study, which begins in June and involves a randomized population of 630 patients from eight hospitals in the Rotterdam area of the Netherlands, Achmea will assess how effectively chronic heart failure patients can be cared for at home using the Motiva platform linked to Achmea’s Medical Service Center.

Through remote patient management technology and monitoring by a medical service center, Philips and Achmea aim to offer a cost-effective way for European healthcare providers to improve the way they care for patients with chronic conditions. “Now that the broadband technology infrastructure exists, more options are emerging for extending healthcare into the home and enabling people to play a more active role in managing their health,” said Gottfried Dutiné, member of Philips’ board of management in commenting on this announcement. Jay Mazelsky, general manager of the new ventures business unit for Philips Medical Systems, explained the implications of this pilot for chronic disease management: “According to the 2002 World Health Report, chronic diseases account for 85% of the deaths and 70% of healthcare costs in Europe. This pilot marks just the start of how healthcare could eventually be managed and administered.”

 

Prof. Dr. Guus van Montfort, Healthcare Director for Achmea, sees this approach to disease management as an innovative step towards serving his more than 2.9 million customers. “By combining the benefits of remote monitoring with an interactive system that provides personalized information to patients, we feel we can help promote healthier behavior and improve the quality of life for our patients.  In Europe, studies have shown that telemonitoring can lead to much-needed cost savings in healthcare. We expect technology to be able to improve the efficiency of the disease management services provided by the Achmea Medical Service Center.”

 

In commenting on the pilot study, Dr. Aggie Balk, cardiologist, head of the heart failure unit at Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, and principal clinical investigator said: “We’ve seen the number of chronic heart disease patients steadily rise over the past few years. So hospitals need to find new ways of providing the same quality of care to increasing numbers of patients. Through this study, we aim to find out how well chronic heart disease patients can manage their health at home using Philips’ remote patient management platform linked to supervised nurses at a medical service center run by Achmea.”

 

A set top box and wireless home monitoring devices will be installed in the patients’ home, which patients can use to measure their vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate and weight. Patients will also receive a customized remote control from Philips, specially designed to meet the needs of elderly users. Patients’ biometric data and survey responses will be automatically sent via a secure broadband television connection to supervised nurses at Achmea’s Medical Service Center, who can monitor the patients’ health and support them by sending reminder messages and educational videos, responding to inbound patient phone calls, and performing triage if medical attention is needed. Vital sign measurements beyond the normal range will be flagged for clinical review and, when necessary, communicated to heart failure nurses or cardiologists at participating hospitals.

 

For high-resolution images of the Motiva system, please click here.

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Jayson Otke
Philips Corporate Communications
Tel: +31 20 59 77215
jayson.otke@philips.com

 

Heidi Wilson
Philips Medical Systems
Tel: +1 978 659 7302
heidi.wilson@philips.com

 

Michael Isaac
Achmea Zorg Corporate Communications
Tel: +31 20 59 14230 (office)
Tel: +6 51329272 (mobile)
Michael.isaac@achmea.nl

 

About Achmea Zorg

Achmea Zorg (Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Groene Land Achmea, PWZ Achmea, Avéro Achmea and FBTO) is one of the largest health insurers in The Netherlands, serving more than 2.9 million customers.  Achmea is part of Eureko, a leading insurance group, operating in selected European markets. We commit ourselves to high quality, payable and accessible healthcare. We invest in innovative projects like telemedicine and other innovations in healthcare like modern GP-care, guaranteed mediation in care, prevention and clear contracts with healthcare providers on price and quality. Achmea Zorg is part of Achmea. Achmea offers businesses, institutions and consumers a broad range of insurance, banking and mortgage products. Achmea links other services to these products so as to enhance their value and to provide greater convenience for the consumer. These services include assistance at home and abroad, health and safety services, absenteeism prevention and workplace reintegration services, as well as health services, which aim for ‘prevention rather than cure’, and encourage a healthy lifestyle for its policyholders. In the market Achmea is known for services that ‘unburden’ its customers.  www.achmea.nl

 

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Steve Kelly, Director, Public Relations
Tel: +1 425-487-7479
E-mail: steve.kelly@philips.com

Ian Race, Senior Manager, Public Relations
Tel: +1 978-659-4624
E-mail:  ian.race@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 133,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of US$42 billion (EUR 27 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.