Philips Homes In on Respironics: Fills Gaps in Care Continuum

No company has done more to wrap its arms around the whole area of patient monitoring--both in and out of the hospital--than Philips Medical Systems. Since early 2006, Philips has made at least seven acquisitions that have helped it create the infrastructure for a telehealth approach to disease management, including monitoring equipment, IT, and emergency response services. To close out 2007, Philips announced an additional acquisition: a $5.1 billion all-cash offer for respiratory therapy provider Respironics, to buy the leading company in a universe of only three independent companies focused on obstructive sleep apnea, the fastest growing market in home health monitoring.

Families, clinicians, payors, and policy-makers continue to grapple with the very complex problem of caring for people with chronic diseases. These patient populations defy the status quo in health care, which is based on discrete and billable episodes of care that, for the most part, take place within the walls of physicians’ offices and other health care facilities. Patients with chronic illnesses, however, need frequent, if not continuous care where they live and work.

To a great degree, the elderly are responsible for a large proportion of health care dollars spent on the care of chronic disease. This year, the eldest of the Baby Boomer generation—the 78 million people born between 1946 and 1964—turn 62, so the issue of how to deal with chronic illnesses in a clinically and cost effective way is becoming critical

More from Archive

More from In Vivo

Digital Transformation At The FDA: Generative AI Set To Transform Drug Review Process

 
• By 

The FDA plans to implement generative AI for drug reviews by 30 June 2025, enhancing efficiency and potentially accelerating approval processes. Discussions with OpenAI about AI integration are ongoing.

Deals Shaping The Industry, April 2025

 
• By 

An interactive look at pharma, medtech and diagnostics deals made during April 2025. Data courtesy of Biomedtracker.

Plans For London Cancer Hub Promises New Destination For Biotech Innovation

 
• By 

Plans have been submitted for a £1bn development in London that can home biotech companies and encourages cross collaboration with the Institute of Cancer Research. In Vivo took an exclusive tour of the UK’s prospective new cancer innovation district.