Philips reaffirms commitment to patient safety by joining coalition to advance quality and safety in healthcare

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced its membership in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)/National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) Patient Safety Coalition. As a member of the coalition, Philips will share insights with other key industry influencers on unmet market needs in healthcare quality and safety, and engage in broader conversations with fellow member organizations to help drive industry advancements and solutions.

“Patient safety and quality are top priorities in healthcare, also in imaging which plays a comprehensive role across the health continuum for diagnosis and appropriate treatment,” said Kees Wesdorp, Business Group Leader, Diagnostic Imaging, Philips. “We look forward to working with leading global health and healthcare improvement organizations such as IHI/NPSF in a meaningful way to focus on quality and safety in healthcare. The more industry perspectives and meaningful discussions we can inspire on these issues, the more readily we can collectively find ways to improve them."

Patient-centered commitment

IHI and NPSF merged in May 2017. Philips’ membership in the IHI/NPSF coalition advances the company’s mission of improving the health of populations and the patient care experience. The IHI/NPSF Patient Safety Coalition aligns stakeholders across the health continuum in a unifying mission to improve patient safety. Members of the coalition include organizations working to address patient safety challenges, professional associations, advocacy organizations, and other similarly committed industry leaders. Coalition members take an active role in discussing quality and safety issues as well as best practices for improvement through knowledge-sharing events and participation in coalition activities.

"Patient safety challenges are best addressed by sharing experiences and perspectives with experts in all disciplines and sectors," said Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, Chief Clinical and Safety officer, IHI. "In that spirit of collaboration, we are very pleased to welcome Philips to the Patient Safety Coalition."

Philips’ membership in the IHI/NPSF coalition advances an existing commitment to patient safety, which Philips is accelerating through a holistic and collaborative approach involving a combination of people, processes, and technology. Philips was one of the first health technology leaders to join more than 100 companies and hospitals in committing to the Open Data Pledge to make health data interoperable and accessible to clinicians and others responsible for patient safety.

For more information on Philips’ focus on enhancing the patient and staff experience to drive patient-centered imaging, visit www.philips.com/radiology. To find out more about the IHI/NPSF Patient Safety Coalition, visit ihi.org/PatientSafety.

About The Institute for Healthcare Improvement / National Patient Safety Foundation