"When vendors excel in their respective market segments, they are recognized by KLAS. By earning the 'Best in KLAS' for Cardiology PACS and the KLAS Specialty Niche Category Leader for Cardiology Hemodynamics two consecutive years, Philips demonstrates its ability to work with cardiovascular customers and match expectations to reality," stated KLAS Vice President of Operations Adam Gale.

Philips leadership in cardiology hemodynamics can be attributed to developing cardiac solutions to help clinicians accurately pinpoint the right information and provide the best patient care. Patients undergo diagnostic and therapeutic procedures generally referred to as cardiac catheterizations (caths), in which a small tube or catheter is inserted into an artery or vein in the groin or arm to reach the heart to gather important information, visualize the anatomy of the heart and/or deliver medical devices to perform interventions. Physiomonitoring (also called hemodynamic monitoring) measures and monitors a patient's electrocardiogram, blood pressures inside the chambers of the heart, and other vital information collected during a cardiac cath. The entire procedure is electronically recorded with reporting tools designed to produce clinical, statistical and transcription reports. Integrated reporting optimizes patient care, while efficiently managing the administrative functions of the department.

According to Bruce Reese, general manager, Interventional Patient Care for Philips Medical Systems, the Philips team is privileged to receive these honors. "To earn KLAS recognition once in a single year is a tremendous honor; to earn these two awards for 2005 and 2006 makes this a significant achievement for the Philips team. These awards also are noteworthy because the next generation of Philips Xcelera cardiovascular information management solution will offer the best of CALYSTO and Xcelera in terms of technology, workflow and service. The next generation Xcelera solution optimizes the multimodality workflow advantages of both products. Plus, like the CALYSTO solution, Xcelera will be integrated with our award-winning physiomonitoring & information system. Customers select Philips cardiovascular solutions because we deliver simplicity via intuitive, integrated technologies that transform data into useful information, while enhancing workflow throughout the cardiac continuum of care. In addition, we continually strive to provide exceptional customer service and support for our products."

Philips' KLAS ratings are published in the 2006 Top 20 Year-End Best in KLAS report. This report reflects the summary of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) product and service performance data collected over the past 13 months (October 15, 2005 - November 15, 2006) as reported by integrated delivery networks (IDNs), clinics and inpatient facilities. The professional services section reflects data collected over the past 18 months (May 15, 2005 – November 15, 2006). Each vendor's product or service has been categorized into a market segment where like products and services are subsequently compared and ranked against one another. In addition, an exclusive Top 20 ranking is provided that involves vendor products from the 14 software market segments with the broadest operational impact. For services, overall rankings are provided for firms in five key categories. To learn more about the 2006 Top 20 Year-End Best in KLAS report, visit www.healthcomputing.com.

The KLAS awards will be formally presented at the 2007 Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference and exhibition in New Orleans, February 26 - March 1. Visitors can experience Philips award winning technologies and innovative solutions, as well as the next generation Xcelera solution, at HIMSS, booth number 6137.

KLAS publications excerpted here are republished with the permission of the copyright holder.

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity." Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 121,700 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of USD 34 billion (EUR 27 billion) in 2006, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.