Blackrock Clinic signs 10-year, multi-million pound contract with Philips

Philips, together with Ireland’s Blackrock Clinic and Healthcare Software Solutions (HSS), recently signed a multi-million pound contract which will see radiology and cardiology combined onto one IT platform.

A Philips spokesman told Digital Health News that the main benefit of integrating Blackrocks’ radiology and cardiology IT platforms is to combine all its imaging and information tools under one software management system and interface.

“This is so that all the information can be shared easily across teams (cardiology, radiology etc)”, the spokesman said.

“Currently the different departments and their software aren’t networked and coordinated so time is spent faxing/clinicians literally moving around, to go and retrieve images/data etc – this new coordinated install makes things much easier and faster for clinicians to access all the data and images they need to inform, at greater speed, MDT decisions.”

Ireland’s Blackrock Clinic uses Philips IntelliSpace Portal which provides access to cardiovascular clinical information. The Philips spokesman said it has seen a reduction in image analysis time by 30%.

“And by combining imaging investigation tools within a remotely accessible networked system, workflow efficiencies can be realised, helping to streamline the multi-disciplinary team decision making process.”

The integration sees Philips’ DoseWise 9.0 radiation management solution used for the first time in the UK and across Europe, at the Dublin clinic – it collects, measures, analyses and reports patient and staff radiation exposure.

“It increases transparency across the entire enterprise and enables data-driven decisions to be made concerning quality initiatives and radiation management”, the spokesman said.

John Hayes, head of IT at Blackrock Clinic Dublin said bringing extensive imaging tools and clinical information points together within a single system is a powerful next-step in patient-centric care.

“With tools such as an improved appointment system for more patient choice and reduced consultant travel time, we hope to see care pathway efficiencies as part of a cost effective, future-proof, solution.”

He said it will help bring care closer to the patient while unlocking clinician resource by simplifying and standardising certain processes.

HSS are also part of the multi-million pound contract for its radiology information system (RIS) software which links to Philips IntelliSpace PACS.

At Blackrock, HSS’ system manages the entire patient-imaging journey from reception, scheduling, patient attendance to diagnostic reporting and episode completion. It delivers a suite of functionality to ensure patient safety and continuity of imaging diagnostic processes.

HSS’ chief executive Graham Ridgway said good clinical collaboration and communication is cornerstone to providing the best holistic care.

“With industry leading solutions, we’re dedicated to ensuring clinicians have the tools they need to assess detailed information quickly and conclusively, and this announcement provides an exciting development for integrated services built around patient care.”

There are approximately 25 to 30 clinical applications at Blackrock that are planned to connect to the Philips system.

Philips will provide ongoing training and maintenance throughout the life of the contract.

Keep an eye out for Phlilips’ “next-generation” electronic patient record which will soon launch in Europe.