Royal Philips and the Dutch SAZ (Association of Collaborating General Hospitals) group of 28 hospitals began a partnership that will last a minimum of five years in the connected care field. The collaboration will cover patient monitoring, observation, and self-management throughout the care journey, inside and outside the hospitals. Philips’ advanced patient monitoring and population health management solutions will support the endeavor.
 
"The SAZ unites 28 regional hospitals, which are together making the move from being hospitals to a health organization," Bert Kleinlugtenbeld, president of the SAZ told the press. "In doing so, the strength of the SAZ is that we act together and learn from each other. Our strategic direction is to move care to the patient's home wherever possible. We also see an important role for prevention. In making this move, removing the burden from the patient and the care provider is central. With Philips, we will do this by using the latest technological innovations in the field of patient monitoring and population health management, strengthening our cooperation in patient-centric care.”
 
“We look forward to continue working with the regional SAZ hospitals to provide the right care in the right place,” said Léon Kempeneers, General Manager Health Systems Philips Benelux. “Through this collaboration with the SAZ, our connected care solutions can be scaled up more easily within the Netherlands’ regional hospitals. Our goal is to improve care by using technology to relieve the burden on patients and caregivers. By improving outcomes through the early detection of patient deteriorations and reducing readmissions, we ultimately hope to reduce the pressure on staff.”

 
Prevent ICU Readmissions
During 2021 about ten SAZ hospitals will begin the collaboration focused either on hospital care or care in the community. In-hospital applications will include early detection of patient deterioration on nursing wards using Philips’ IntelliVue Guardian Solution, which the Bravis hospital in Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal, the Netherlands, already has experience of using. The Bravis hospital is also already using Philips’ wearable biosensor and will use it to make a better connection between patient monitoring in the hospital’s ICU and its nursing wards, reducing the length of stay in the ICU and helping to prevent ICU re-admissions. In addition, the solution will help a patient to return to a long-term care setting or their own home. By creating an automatic link between the Philips biosensor, the Philips IntelliVue Guardian software and the hospital’s EMR system, the organization aims to reduce the time nurses spend on administration.
 
Self-Management for Patients
Other hospitals will start projects in the field of home monitoring and self-management for patients, something that IJsselland Hospital in Capelle aan den IJssel, the Netherlands, is already doing with Philips as part of a telemonitoring project for patients with heart failure and COPD. Patients measure their blood pressure and weight at home, and this data is monitored by heart failure nurses in the hospital. Patients also receive additional information and tips on how to manage their condition. The aim is to prevent readmissions and increase patient engagement, something that will be supported by Philips’ patient-centric Engage platform, which provides patient and provider access to an overview of the patient’s health information.

 
The SAZ has experience with multiparty collaborations to improve healthcare. In 2017 the 28 hospitals started the company BeterDichtbij BV. BeterDichtbij is now used by 35 hospitals in the Netherlands. As part of the strategic collaboration between SAZ a connection will be realized between BeterDichtbij and the Philips Engage platform.