Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today it is partnering with Philips (NYSE:PHG) to develop and commercialize the LungGPS patient management platform designed to aid in the identification and management of patients with lung nodules.
The LungGPS platform is designed to improve identification and management of patients with incidental pulmonary nodules, and uses natural language processing to analyze medical report data.
The system also uses Philips’ lung cancer screening solution which automates routine administrative tasks and clinical workflows to improve efficiency and patient care, the companies said.
“Early identification and prompt, appropriate management of pulmonary nodule patients has been proven to improve clinical outcomes. Developing technological solutions to enable our customers to do this quickly, efficiently and consistently continues to be our focus and we’re excited about the expanded possibilities through our new collaboration with Medtronic. The combination of our collective capabilities in imaging, informatics and image-guided intervention has the ability to make a meaningful, positive impact on patient care, clinical outcomes and survivorship,” Philips oncology solutions head Brent Berthy said in prepared remarks.
Both Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic and Amsterdam-based Philips’ early commercialization efforts will look to provide solutions focused on hospital data, patient management and clinical workflows.
“Lung cancer rates haven’t changed much over the past three decades. The current management of incidental lung nodule tracking is a very manual process, one that includes spreadsheets or post-it notes or no active management at all. It’s time we think differently about how we’re going to tackle this disease, and bring lung healthcare into the twenty-first century. No one single company can tackle this alone and through our collaboration with Philips, we have the opportunity to help achieve better outcomes for these patients – using technology to promote integrated care,” Medtronic lung health GM Matt Anderson said in a press release.
Earlier today, Medtronic said it closed the $28 million acquisition of the Chocolate PTA non-drug-coated balloon made by QT Vascular, after taking an option on the device last year.
