Healthcare Industry News: EKG
News Release - September 13, 2006
Philips and Laughlin Memorial Announce Tennessee's First 'Ambient Experience' CT Suite Plus Whole Body High-Field and Open MR Systems
Ambient Experience Suite and Advanced Imaging Technology Designed around Patients to Allay Fears and Improve ComfortGREENEVILLE, Tenn.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Sept. 13, 2006--Laughlin Memorial Hospital and Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) today announced the installation of Tennessee's first Ambient Experience suite featuring a 64-slice computed tomography (CT) system, as well as the installation of the state's first "4.0T combination"--two magnetic resonance (MR) suites, comprised of a high field 3.0T whole body and a high-field 1.0T open system. Laughlin Memorial and Philips are focused on providing Eastern Tennessee world-class diagnostic technology married with unique patient-focused designs to improve patient comfort.
The jewel of Laughlin Memorial's Outpatient Imaging Center, the Ambient Experience suite allows patients to instantaneously personalize the lighting, projected images and other elements of the exam room, giving them a greater sense of comfort and control over their experience. By swiping a credit-card sized "theme card" before entering the room, patients select soothing images to be projected on the walls and ceiling accompanied by corresponding sounds, such as an underwater seascape or mountain scene complete with migrating geese. Wrapping the patient in an experience of their choosing changes the setting from a cold clinical room into an environment that puts him or her at ease.
"The difference between getting a CT exam in a traditional suite compared to the Ambient Experience suite is night and day," said Burt Ridge, 49, a local patient who has had recent CT exams in both the Laughlin Memorial Ambient Experience suite and traditional CT suites. "Every time I need a CT exam, I have some anxiety about the procedure. I'm concerned about the state of my health, I'm in the room alone and the system itself is loud and startling. The Ambient Experience suite allows me to relax, the images help me think about something other than the exam, the time passes faster and my fears during the process are significantly reduced. At this point, I am taking steps to ensure my next exam will take place in the Ambient Experience suite - it makes a difference."
Philips Ambient Experience technology is leading a change the in way patients receive care by creating hospital environments that are reassuring for patients and comfortable for professionals. Installed at select leading hospitals around the world, Philips Ambient Experience concept uses advanced medical, audiovisual, lighting and IT technologies applied to various clinical settings, such as waiting rooms, radiology suites and catheterization labs. Philips aims to improve the quality of people's lives in the hospital or home with innovative and advanced healthcare solutions that continually enhance care performance and patients' experiences.
"In collaboration with Philips, our goal is to ensure the people of Eastern Tennessee have access to the world's finest diagnostic systems and that our hospital maintains its focus on patient care and comfort," said Chuck Whitfield, president and CEO at Laughlin Memorial Hospital. "Never before has an exam room combined this kind of diagnostic power with patient-focused, consumer-based technology to improve quality of care. From the reaction of patients, doctors and our staff, we are confident that the Ambient Experience CT suite takes patient-focused care to a higher level. It truly is something special in the field of radiology."
People Friendly Solutions
Philips Ambient Experience CT suite at Laughlin Memorial is outfitted with a Philips Brilliance 64-slice CT system. The Brilliance 64-channel configuration breaks through previous boundaries in CT imaging, improving diagnostic confidence, image quality and productivity. The system is designed to ensure a positive patient experience for a range of routine and advanced exams, including neuro, body, pulmonary, cardiovascular, pediatric, interventional, and trauma studies.
"Our customers look to us to help improve their diagnostic imaging capabilities in such a way that puts patients at ease," said Jim Haisler, vice president of sales for Philips Medical Systems. "We draw upon our expertise from across the entire Philips portfolio - in design, medical systems, lighting and consumer electronics - to create a friendly and reassuring environment tailored to each patient's individual needs. And by building on the promise of the Philips brand - to deliver products that are designed around the user, easy to experience and advanced - we are the only company able to bring Ambient Experience to the marketplace."
Philips Design Medical Team was recognized as a gold winner for its Ambient Experience design for healthcare in the annual Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA). The contest is run independently by the Industrial Designers Society of America and sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine. The Industrial Design Excellence Awards are dedicated to fostering business and public understanding of the importance of industrial design excellence to quality of life and the economy.
One 3.0T Whole-Body MR Plus One 1.0T Open MR Equals the Region's Only "4.0T Combination"
In addition the Ambient Experience CT Suite, Laughlin Memorial Hospital is the first in the region to open two advanced MR suites in one facility: a whole body high-field MR system and an open high-field MR system.
The Philips Achieva 3.0T (Tesla - standard MR strength measure) MR scanner is the most compact whole-body 3.0T system available. The system offers complete and innovative applications in neurological, musculoskeletal and abdominal imaging, as well as functional and cardiac studies, contrast-enhanced angiography, and spectroscopic imaging. The clinical benefits of the Philips Achieva 3.0T include spectacular signal-to-noise ratio and image detail, which enable clinicians to see anatomical structures and details that are simply not visible at lower field strengths.
The Philips Panorama 1.0T is the world's first and only open high-field MR with active shielding. Its open design and 160 cm wide patient gap gives patients of all sizes and shapes an unrivaled degree of comfort. Its 1.0T field strength delivers optimal MR image contrast. With a signal-to-noise performance similar to a 1.5T cylindrical magnet (achieved through its unique vertical field design), the Philips Panorama 1.0T combines the delivery of outstanding images with speed and patient comfort.
About Laughlin Memorial Hospital's new Outpatient Center
A free-standing outpatient diagnostic center - more accessible and more user-friendly for our patients. Outpatient Lab (moved from Medical Office Building) - EKG - Holter Monitor Treadmill Stress Test - Digital Diagnostic X-Ray - Fluoroscopy - Ultrasound - CT Scan - Nuclear Medicine - High Field MRI - Open MRI - Cardiac Catheterization Endoscopy - Expanded Short-Stay Surgery - Expanded Surgical Suites
One of only three facilities nationwide that feature Philips' "Ambient Experience" technology.
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of $37.7 billion (EUR 30.4 billion) in 2005. With activities in the three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technology and 158,000 employees in more than 60 countries, it has market leadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting and silicon system solutions. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
Source: Royal Philips Electronics
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