Philips’ eCareCoordinator and eCareCompanion telehealth apps have received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. FDA. A part of Philips Hospital to Home’s suite of telehealth programs, the two apps are focused on patient care within the home and are the first clinical applications to be available through the cloud-based digital health platform, which Philips announced in collaboration with Salesforce.com earlier this summer.
“These applications address both clinician and patient needs, providing clinicians with better access and analysis around patient data while empowering patients to manage their own health with direct access to care teams,” said Jeroen Tas, CEO, Philips Healthcare Informatics Solutions and Services. “The deeper insights into patient conditions will help enable more efficient and cost-effective care for improved outcomes.”
Both eCareCoordinator and eCareCompanion will help healthcare providers reduce readmissions and lower healthcare costs.eCareCoordinator supports population health management by providing clinicians with a daily review of each of their patients, allowing them to prioritize patients and adjust care plans or intervene as needed. The application gives clinicians real-time access to both objective health data (vital signs, blood pressure and weight), as well as subjective responses collected via health questionnaires and other communication with the care team about the patient’s status.
On the other hand, eCareCompanion serves as the patient portal, driving patient engagement and self-management. The personalized app is accessed via a tablet, and allows patients to answer questions about their health and enter requested measurements to stay connected with their care teams. It can connect to an array of medical devices — such as a weight scale, oximeter, blood pressure meter and medicine dispenser — to enable a deeper insight into patient health. The application also proactively reminds them of pre-assigned health tasks, like taking medications, to encourage adherence and better outcomes.
Both eCareCoordinator and eCareCompanion are part of the Philips Transition to Ambulatory Care (eTrAC) program, a clinical program whose goal is to help healthcare providers reduce readmissions and lower healthcare costs by focusing on effective chronic care management within the home.
The two apps will support new at-home care models like the program being piloted at Banner Health, a pioneer accountable care organization in Arizona, USA. Philips will be launching a similar program with Henry Ford Health System, one of the nation’s leading integrated health systems based in Michigan, USA.