PHG Koninklijke Philips NV

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with Respiratory Care Week (October 23 – 29), Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today announced the launch of COPD insider, an online community where leaders in value-based Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) care will discuss new and innovative solutions, highlight the biggest issues in COPD care, share a wealth of knowledge and provide practical solutions for COPD care professionals. Crowd-sourcing expertise from key thought leaders throughout the U.S., COPD insider is an online community that connects the entire care team and redefines COPD care by sharing expert solutions to empower new possibilities from the hospital to the home.

COPD is estimated to affect 24 million adults, with more than half not knowing they have the illness despite exhibiting symptoms¹. In the United States alone, 120,000 people die from COPD each year². With more than three million deaths annually, COPD is expected to be the third leading cause of death worldwide in the next fifteen years, more than breast cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer combined, as predicted by the World Health Organization³. At least 12 million people are living with undiagnosed COPD⁴, and an essential starting point for COPD involves actively pursuing early diagnosis and intervention before hospitalization and readmissions which can lead to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

"As an extension of our longstanding commitment to COPD care, COPD insider is a new way to reach healthcare providers and offer educational solutions to help improve care for the millions of people living with COPD," said Eli Diacopoulos, Business Leader, Home Respiratory Care, Philips. "This online community will leverage the expertise of leaders in COPD care to offer insight into tools and solutions that educate healthcare providers, better treat patients' respiratory conditions and help transform COPD care."

Improving patient outcomes while decreasing overall costs are two critical reasons why COPD care requires a leaner, more agile approach, focused on getting patients home quicker, while continuing to deliver quality care in the home to keep patients from returning to the hospital. Through guidance from professionals in effective multidisciplinary teams, COPD insider will provide subscribers a platform of valuable tips and tools that they can consider using to improve the structure of their practice.

"It is crucial in our industry to collaborate and challenge each other in order to find the best solutions for our patients," said Brian Carlin, MD, FCCP, FAARC, Critical Care Staff Physician, Altoona Regional Health System and COPD insider participant. "The collaboration and discussion that will take place through COPD insider will enable our care teams to redefine our approach to COPD care and improve outcomes for our patients."

Once registered with COPD insider, subscribers will have free access to:

• The full COPD insider suite of exclusive strategic content, including articles, videos, how-to guides and case studies;
• Leading insights and solutions for COPD patient care; and
• Immediate notifications to access new content.

COPD insider, along with Philips One COPD patient care solutions, was recently displayed at the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Congress 2016 in San Antonio, TX earlier this month. AARC also hosts Respiratory Care Week from October 23-29, 2016 which aims to recognize the respiratory care profession and raise awareness for improving lung health around the world. Those interested in learning more about COPD care, can visit: www.copdinsider.com. For more information on Philips Respironics advanced technology and integrated solutions, please visit: www.respironics.com.

For further information, please contact:
Kathy O'Reilly
Philips Group Communications
Tel: +1 978-659-2638
Mobile: +1 978-221-8919
Email: kathy.oreilly@philips.com
Twitter: @kathyoreilly

About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health 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. 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. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2015 sales of EUR 16.8 billion and employs approximately 69,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

¹ The COPD Foundation. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.copdfoundation.org/What-is-COPD/Understanding-COPD/What-is-COPD.aspx
² National Institutes of Health. 2013. Retrieved from https://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx
³ World Health Organization. 2008. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/burden/en/
⁴ National Institute of Health. 2016. Retrieved from https://report.nih.gov/nihfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=77

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SOURCE Royal Philips