Philips,GRMC Sign Big Health Care Pact

Georgia Regents Medical Center and Koninklijke Philips NV have inked a 15 year,300 million dollar partnership agreement of unprecedented scope in the US.It promises to address current and future clinical,operational and equipment needs across GRMC's many facilities,at a fixed operational cost over the 15 year period. Four to six million GRMC patients in Georgia and South Carolina stand to benefit from the collaboration.It encompasses consulting services;advanced medical technologies;operational performance;planning and maintenance services. The goal is to deliver faster,more effective and cost-efficienr care from diagnostics to therapeutics,to inpatient and outpatient clinical services.The pact will cover all medical specialties and enhance medical research and clinical technology R&D for care delivery innovation. Philips will provide imaging systems;patient monitoring and clinical informatics;lighting and consumer products;as well as rapid access to new equipment and educational resources. Deborah DiSuizo,CEO of Philips Healthcare,said we are proud to embark on this transformational alliance,as we share the vision that we can create the future of healthcare by creatively and efeectively meeting the long term care needs of patients. Philips has entered similar but smaller scale agreements with hospitals in Europe,Asia,the Middle East and Africa that have proved successful in improving patient outcomes and controlling costs. Koninklijke Philips NV(PHG)