Philips (NYSE: PHG) today announced a national partnership with UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Healthcare to provide access to its Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCOT) and Extended Holter (ePatch) devices for Optum members in the U.S.
The agreement makes Philips’ cardiac ambulatory monitoring technology available to 3.4 million members across 22 states, expanding access to the technology across commercial, Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Managed Medicare, and Medicaid plans.
The Dutch medtech giant said the partnership is intended to support earlier detection of cardiac conditions, improve referrals, and enable timely intervention. The company said access to its devices could reduce delays in specialist referrals, provide more diagnostic insights, and improve care coordination. The company added that user-friendly monitoring tools may encourage better treatment adherence in patients managing chronic cardiac conditions.
“Today marks a great step forward in Philips’ ability to reach even more patients and help them receive the care they deserve,” said Julia Strandberg, chief business leader of Connected Care at Royal Philips. “As a preferred in-network provider, Philips’ cardiac ambulatory monitoring services empower primary care physicians and cardiologists with actionable data that enables them to build stronger collaboration across care teams and can ultimately improve patient outcomes.”
Philips said the partnership expands access to its MCOT and ePatch monitoring systems for patients enrolled in commercial, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Managed Medicare, and Medicaid plans. The company said the wearable technologies are designed to give clinicians actionable insights while allowing patients to continue daily activities.
Philips has recently struck several strategic partnerships that boost its presence in cardiac and AI-enabled healthcare. It teamed up with Epic to integrate ambulatory cardiac monitoring and diagnostic services into the Epic health IT ecosystem. The company also renewed a multi-year collaboration with Masimo in patient monitoring.
