Philips buys Tomcat Systems

Dutch IT giant Royal Philips Electronics has announced it will acquire Tomcat Systems Ltd, a Northern Ireland-based supplier of cardiac information systems, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Tomcat provides integrated cardiac care software said to provide a comprehensive, patient-centric presentation of patient data and the ability to address both clinical and operational needs.

Philips says the acquisition will expand the use of information technology in healthcare – and specifically in its cardiology business.

Once the purchase is completed – expected to be in the second quarter of 2008 – Tomcat will become part of the Healthcare Informatics business group within the Philips Healthcare sector.

Oran Muduroglu, general manager of the Healthcare Informatics business group at Philips Healthcare, said: “Tomcat’s solution is a great match with our current cardiology information systems, and as such already implemented as a total solution in various hospitals. Philips will now accelerate introduction of this integrated cardiology information solution in North America and in other selected markets.”

The Tomcat cardiology software connects with different clinical information systems like cath lab workflow management systems, and picture archiving and communications systems (PACS).

The software can seamlessly connect to Philips’ Xcelera and Philips Xper Information Management, as well as with systems from other vendors.

Additional features include providing scheduling, staff and resource management, cost capturing, and the generation of reports and statistical information, thereby supporting the management of a cardiovascular service line.

According to Philips, demand for cardio-vascular information system (CVIS) software is accelerating and says global industry for cardiology informatics, which includes comprehensive CVIS solutions, will grow to more than €400m in 2011 from an estimated €275m in 2008.