Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, and the Dutch SAZ (Association of Collaborating General Hospitals) group of 28 hospitals have signed a strategic partnership agreement for a minimum of 5 years in the field of connected care. The partnership will encompass the monitoring, observation and self-management of patients throughout the entire care journey, both inside and outside the hospitals, supported by Philips advanced patient monitoring and population health management solutions.
“The SAZ unites 28 regional hospitals, which are together making the move from being hospitals to a health organization,” says Bert Kleinlugtenbeld, President of the SAZ. “In doing so, the strength of the SAZ is that we act together and learn from each other. Our strategic direction is to move care to the patient’s home wherever possible. We also see an important role for prevention. In making this move, removing the burden from the patient and the care provider is central. With Philips, we will do this by using the latest technological innovations in the field of patient monitoring and population health management, strengthening our cooperation in patient-centric care.”
Prevent ICU re-admissions
During the course of 2021 about ten SAZ hospitals will start the collaboration focused either on hospital care or care in the community. In-hospital applications will include early detection of patient deterioration on nursing wards using Philips’ IntelliVue Guardian Solution, which the Bravis hospital in Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal, the Netherlands, already has experience of using. The Bravis hospital is also already using Philips’ wearable biosensor and will use it to make a better connection between patient monitoring in the hospital’s ICU and its nursing wards, reducing the length of stay in the ICU and helping to prevent ICU re-admissions. In addition, the solution will help a patient to return to a long term care setting or their own home. By creating an automatic link between the Philips biosensor, the Philips IntelliVue Guardian software and the hospital’s EMR system, the organization aims to reduce the time nurses spend on administration.
The SAZ has experience with multiparty collaborations to improve healthcare. In 2017 the 28 hospitals started the company BeterDichtbij BV. BeterDichtbij is now used by 35 hospitals in the Netherlands. As part of the strategic collaboration between SAZ a connection will be realized between BeterDichtbij and the Philips Engage platform.