Philips makes access to care and personalized telehealth for local
communities real with Virtual Care Station
August 11, 2020
Telehealth environment originally developed for veterans gives
patients access to clinicians in convenient, close-to-home
locations through retail & public settings
Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Cambridge, Mass., U.S.
– Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in
health technology, today announced the launch of Virtual Care
Station [1], a telehealth environment that delivers virtual care
services in convenient neighborhood locations such as retail
settings, libraries, town halls and universities. The pod-based
solution connects provider and insurance networks, allowing health
providers and patients to have a local, community-based choice for
care. Whether in underserved rural or urban areas, Virtual Care
Station helps deliver on the Quadruple Aim by giving patients
access to virtual face-to-face care, and is designed to help
improve clinical outcomes, lower costs and increase patient and
staff satisfaction. Virtual Care Station is based on Philips
technology developed for the ATLAS program (Accessing Telehealth
through Local Area Stations), which was created to serve the
healthcare needs of U.S. veterans.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, trends showed some increased
interest in the use of telehealth services by both healthcare
providers and patients [2,3,4]. However, recent policy changes
during the pandemic have reduced barriers to telehealth access and
have promoted the use of telehealth as a way to deliver acute,
chronic, primary and specialty care [5]. Although at-home
telehealth solutions are a convenient option, many patients do not
have access to reliable internet access or the digital devices
required for telehealth. Moreover, patients may not have the
privacy they need for sensitive clinical conversations at home,
making the Virtual Care Station a timely option.
Philips created the Virtual Care Station with insights from
patients, physicians and caregivers to offer patients the
convenience and care of a traditional face-to-face visit. The
telehealth station features a camera, lighting and speakers, all
specifically designed to provide the clinician and patient the
control to produce a high-quality view of the patient and their
specific area of concern. Further, the Virtual Care Station
features thoughtful design, including enough room to accommodate
the needs of a patient in a wheelchair or with a service dog.
Virtual Care Station’s uses can be extended in the future with
different capabilities, such as tele-dentistry, and new
technologies that further limit touch points such as contactless
monitoring. It also offers the potential to supplement visits with
remote patient monitoring devices in the home, allowing care teams
to track patients’ health between visits.
Today, telehealth options have the potential to help take
pressure off of healthcare systems that are overtaxed by COVID-19.
According to the CDC, changes in the way that health care is
delivered during this pandemic are needed to reduce staff exposure
to ill persons, preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and
minimize the impact of patient surges on facilities. Healthcare
systems have had to adjust the way they triage, evaluate and care
for patients using methods that do not rely on in-person services
[6]. Telehealth services help provide necessary care to patients
while minimizing the transmission risk of COVID-19 to healthcare
personnel and patients.
“By expanding our telehealth solution, we hope to give providers
an option to engage in population health and support patients
closer to home in lower cost settings that can lead to the
potential for more follow-up visits, and the opportunity for
clinicians to identify at-risk patients earlier and manage health
escalations,” said Vitor Rocha, Chief Market Leader for Philips
North America. “Not only does it mean the convenience of
shorter drive times for patients, it could mean better health
outcomes and a safer environment for providers as people benefit
from getting the quality care they need in the right place at the
right time.”
For more information on Philips Virtual Care Station, please
visit Virtual Care Station.
[1] Currently available in North America only.
[2] American Medical Association, 2020. AMA Digital Health
Research: Physician’s motivation and requirements for adopting
digital health—adoption and attitudinal shifts from 2016 to 2019.
https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2020-02/ama-digital-health-study.pdf
[3] Martinez KA, Rood M, Jhangiani N, Kou L, Rose S, Boissy A,
Rothberg MB. Patterns of use and correlates of patient satisfaction
with a large nationwide direct to consumer telemedicine service.
Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2018 Oct
1;33(10):1768-73.
[4]Orlando JF, Beard M, Kumar S. Systematic review of patient
and caregivers’ satisfaction with telehealth videoconferencing as a
mode of service delivery in managing patients’ health. PloS One.
2019;14(8).
[5] Bashshur R, Doarn CR, Frenk JM, Kvedar JC, Woolliscroft JO.
Telemedicine and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Lessons for the Future.
Telemedicine and e-Health. May 2020.571-3.
http://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.29040.rb
[6]
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/telehealth.html
For further information, please contact:
Joost MalthaPhilips Global Press OfficeTel.: +31 6 10 55 81
16E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com
Silvie CasanovaPhilips North AmericaTel.: +1 781-879-0692E-Mail:
silvie.casanova@philips.com
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. Headquartered in
the Netherlands, 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. Philips generated 2019
sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000
employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News
about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
- Philips Virtual Care Station - waiting room
- Philips Virtual Care Station - Retail
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