How can we innovate for more equitable cardiovascular care? Leave a comment
However, pairing a mobile tele-ECG device with Philips Lumify ultrasound offers primary care providers integrated cardiovascular screening and diagnostic capability that can help address the problem. Beyond early detection at the primary care level, this innovative telehealth-based care model can also help provide more effective triage, remotely and at a low cost. Once patients are identified as high-risk, tele-cardiac referral can be used to help get them the right care, including lifesaving cath lab procedures. In addition, by offering use-based payment options, smaller providers, like clinics, can more easily afford to purchase the technology.
What began as an internal Philips research project grew into a collaboration that includes Philips Foundation, an external health technology partner, and stakeholders in medically underserved communities. Though still in the early phases, this scalable initiative embodies the kind of equitable care outcome that can come from a people-centered innovation process.
In India, another multi-stakeholder collaboration aimed at addressing the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases has resulted in the installation of 1,000 state-of-the-art cath labs at major sites across the country. Not only do these labs help expand India’s capacity to treat a range of cardiovascular diseases with minimally invasive image-guided therapy procedures, but they also lay the groundwork for additional cath lab expansions to help reach the country’s most remote locations.
