Royal Philips has acquired Direct Radiology’s teleradiology platform and business operations, finalizing the deal on March 22.
More than 60 Direct Radiology employees now work for Philips and will report to Sham Sokka, the company’s business leader of radiology solutions. The medical practice side of Direct Radiology’s operations, however, will “continue to operate independently through managed service agreements,” according to Philips.
The move provides a clear boost to Philips’ teleradiology capabilities.
“Teleradiology is one of the fastest growing market segments of radiology, primarily driven by the increasing shortage of radiologists and the need for access to high quality radiology services which is a corner stone for precision diagnosis,” Sokka told Radiology Business. “We already had a rich radiology informatics portfolio of PACVS and VNA solutions, combined with advanced analytics, visualization and workflow applications. Direct Radiology now adds the technology capability to better facilitate teleradiology, as well as the operational capability to route and provide teleradiology services across the U.S., and this will enable us to expand the scale and reach of our offering to support radiologists globally.”
Following the acquisition, Philips officially announced the expansion of its radiology solutions portfolio and its plan to scale Direct Radiology’s teleradiology platform so that it can support radiologists throughout the world.
“We see imaging as a system and deliver innovation to support the needs of all the people behind the images by seamlessly integrating technology and data,” Sokka said in a prepared statement. “Our new teleradiology services address a pressing need, while providing a strong platform for Philips’ future growth in the telehealth market.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.