Philips has expanded its radiology portfolio with the acquisition of Idaho-based teleradiology services provider Direct Radiology to enhance access to precision diagnoses.
Image: Philips acquires Direct Radiology. Photo: Courtesy of Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Philips said that Direct Radiology is a physician-owned and operated teleradiology practice which offers services to more than 300 hospitals, imaging centers, mobile imaging services and doctors’ offices across the US.
Financial details about the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the acquisition plan, Direct Radiology’s medical practice unit will continue to operate independently via managed service agreements.
Philips said that its telehealth services will build on its cloud-based radiology informatics portfolio of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) solutions, along with analytics, visualization and workflow applications.
With the latest acquisition, Philips’ new telehealth services will also feature teleradiology viewing and reporting capabilities, on-call radiologist services and related exam workflow enhancement applications.
Teleradiology includes remote interpretation of patient images from medical imaging exams including CT, MR, and X-ray exams by radiologists without the need for them to be in the same location as the patient.
It also involves remote storage, retrieval, viewing and analysis of medical images by clinical experts and patients can receive optimal treatment via their local caregivers, irrespective of their location.
Philips Radiology Solutions business leader Sham Sokka said: “As health systems worldwide struggle with the ever increasing costs and shortage of care providers, teleradiology will be a key enabler to optimally use the available resources, and support radiology departments to improve the speed and accuracy of image interpretation.
“We see imaging as a system and deliver innovation to support the needs of all the people behind the images by seamlessly integrating technology and data. Our new teleradiology services address a pressing need, while providing a strong platform for Philips’ future growth in the telehealth market.”
The Dutch company already offers IT infrastructure for advanced telehealth solutions to strengthen collaboration among clinical care teams and HealthSuite Digital Platform, a digital framework that connects consumers, patients and healthcare providers on a cloud-based ecosystem of devices, apps and tools.