Philips to buy US medical alarm firm

Royal Philips Electronics is to acquire US-based Emergin, a provider of software allowing transmission of medical alarm signals throughout hospitals.

Emergin will become part of the patient monitoring business unit within Philips’ Healthcare sector, expanding its range of health IT capabilities, particularly in the area of patient monitoring. Over the past five years, Emergin has brought several innovations to market in partnership with Philips.

Steve Rusckowski, CEO of Philips Healthcare said: “At Philips, we’ve built up a number one position in patient monitoring systems, and you’ll find our monitors throughout the hospital – from the emergency room and the operating room, to the intensive care unit. They provide key information on a patient’s health for doctors and nurses.”

Rusckowski added that with the ratios of patients to medical staff on the rise, Philips customers are looking for solutions that help them access the critical patient data quickly and flexibly throughout the hospital. “Emergin’s software provides that functionality, and will enhance the performance of our patient monitoring equipment, making it a good fit for this business.”

Emergin provides alarm management and event notification software and helps to ensure that critical information is sent rapidly to the right healthcare professional, on the personal communication device of their choice – be it a pager, wireless telephone, PDA or LED sign.

The acquisition of Emergin will enable Philips to integrate the functionality offered by Emergin’s software directly into Philips’ current and future patient monitoring products.

“The Philips acquisition will enable Emergin to maintain its market leadership by accelerating its time to market and immediately expanding its global footprint,” said Michael A. McNeal, President & CEO of Emergin.

Founded in 1995, Emergin has seen strong demand for its software solutions, with 2007 sales at an estimated USD 18 million – or roughly 50% year-on-year growth over the past three years.

According to figures supplied by Philips, the global patient monitoring market in 2006 was estimated to be worth approximately EUR 2 billion or approximately USD 3 billion.

Joe Fernandez