Day: November 10, 2021

November 10, 2021

• USD 15.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation adds to Philips’ R&D investments and will boost obstetrics app development for Philips Handheld Ultrasound – Lumify
• Project further underscores Philips’ commitment to improve the lives of 2.5 billion people a year by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it has received a USD 15.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) based application suite to improve the quality and accessibility of obstetric care in low- and middle-income countries, especially in underserved communities. By helping front-line healthcare workers such as midwives to identify potential problems in pregnancy at an early stage, the project aims to significantly reduce the number of women who die as a result of pregnancy – currently around 830 women every day worldwide [1] – while reducing fetal mortality and morbidity.

The project plans to develop an application suite that will be deployed on Philips Handheld Ultrasound – Lumify – which is currently in widespread use in community-based mother and child care programs around the world. It also builds on the expertise of the Philips Foundation, providing access to quality healthcare for underserved communities worldwide, including a program in Kenya to educate midwives to deliver ultrasound-based antenatal pregnancy screening in village clinics, while receiving telehealth support from radiologists at distance.

“Philips is a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, with many of its AI-based solutions already FDA approved,” said Joseph Frassica, Head of Philips Research Americas and Chief Medical Officer, Philips North America. “This effort to use AI to help deliver high quality pre-natal care to the vast number of women in the world who cannot easily access it is a perfect example of what we believe AI should be used for – empowering healthcare professionals to help them deliver faster and more efficient care to help improve patient outcomes.”

Enhancing skills of midwives in low and middle-income countries
Handheld diagnostic ultrasound platforms like Philips Lumify offer an affordable solution to assess pregnancy, while providing a portable option to be used in community-based mother and child care programs. However, front-line midwives often lack the required training and ultrasound experience to make a confident diagnosis. AI-enabled applications have the potential to bridge this gap by providing assistance to acquire the right images and then assist with interpretation of those images. The suite of AI-based obstetrics applications will help front-line healthcare workers to identify high-risk pregnancies that can be clinically managed to prevent adverse birth outcomes.

AI-guided assessment of gestational age and fetal development
The World Health Organization recommends at least one ultrasound scan before 24 weeks of gestation for pregnant women to evaluate gestational age with greater confidence than a traditional last menstrual period estimate [2]. A better estimate of gestational age can reduce the number of induced labors and, as a result, help improve the birthing experience for a large number of women. Appropriate targeting of maternal and neonatal care can also help to prevent complications of prematurity. Currently, no ultrasound device is commercially available that assists non-expert users by automating image acquisition or image interpretation for a comprehensive set of obstetrics measurements, limiting access to early fetal ultrasound scans.

“Philips Handheld Ultrasound – Lumify – is a great example of how Philips is bringing diagnostic insights to the point of care to deliver on the ‘quadruple aim’ of healthcare: better health outcomes, an improved experience for patients and staff, and a lower cost of care,” said Matthijs Groot Wassink, General Manager for Access and Obstetric Ultrasound at Philips. “Supported through funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, we now have the opportunity to extend those enhanced patient and staff experiences to pregnant women and midwives throughout the world, while at the same time reducing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, and making high quality prenatal care much more affordable in low-resource settings.”

Philips and the Philips Foundation have several ongoing programs to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in underserved communities, including a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund and the Government of Republic of the Congo and with Aga Khan University’s​ Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health in East Africa.

Philips is a leader in ultrasound solutions with a large global installed base and a strong track record of industry-first innovations in areas such as 3D imaging of the heart, AI-powered quantification tools, and ultra-mobile portable ultrasound solutions. Its ultrasound portfolio supports the effective and efficient delivery of care across a broad range of clinical specialties including radiology, cardiology, point-of-care and obstetrics/gynecology. Visit Philips Ultrasound Systems portfolio for more information, and join Philips at RSNA 2021 where the company will spotlight its latest portfolio of connected radiology workflow solutions and smart connected imaging systems to increase efficiency and diagnostic confidence in precision care and treatment.

[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
[2] WHO | WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience: ultrasound examination

For further information, please contact:

Kathy O’Reilly
Philips Global Press Office
Tel: +1 978-221-8919
Email: kathy.oreilly@philips.com

Silvie Casanova
Philips North America
Tel: +1 781-879-0692
Email: Silvie.casanova@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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• Philips Lumify in the Field

Welltok’s Data and Predictive Analytics, Activation Engine and Communications Capabilities Supercharge Virgin Pulse’s Ability to Engage Hard-to-Reach Populations, including Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid Members

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Nov. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Virgin Pulse, the leading global provider of tech-enabled solutions focused on improving the health and wellbeing of its members, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Welltok, the award-winning health activation company. Combining Welltok’s activation engine with Virgin Pulse’s daily engagement platform will drive better health outcomes and cost reductions for the companies’ combined 4,100 global employer, health plan and health system clients.

“This acquisition is the culmination of years of work to establish a game-changing approach to improving health and reducing costs for employers, health plans and health systems,” said Chris Michalak, CEO of Virgin Pulse. “Combining our organizations will allow us to optimize the health of millions by keeping them continually engaged and activated, which will ultimately reduce costs for clients, members, consumers, and patients. Integrating Welltok’s personalization and analytics capabilities into Homebase for Health® will deliver exponentially more value for our clients and their respective populations. In the near term, we will be identifying quick wins out the gate for our clients and consumers, scaling existing programs and introducing a superior activation engine.”

Virgin Pulse is widely recognized for delivering digital and live solutions that foster long-term behavior changes by engaging users in cultivating daily habits that improve outcomes across all aspects of their health and wellbeing. Welltok is known for activating people at the individual level by combining social determinants of health data with robust predictive analytics capabilities while leveraging multiple communication channels (text/SMS, email, interactive voice response (IVR) calls, social media, etc.) to maximize reach.

Welltok’s proprietary activation engine is focused on motivating consumers, employees, patients and members to complete targeted actions like participating in a mental health program, refilling a medication, or closing a gap in care. Delivering these capabilities as part of Virgin Pulse’s Homebase for Health® will create a more personalized user experience and expedite outcomes and cost savings for clients and consumers by making it easier to initiate and complete meaningful actions that improve health and wellbeing.

With this acquisition, Virgin Pulse will introduce the industry’s first end-to-end engagement and activation platform that supports clients, members, and consumers across the entire health continuum by:

• Leveraging the industry’s most comprehensive consumer database for 275 million lives and over 1,000 predictive analytics models that target individuals with up to 90% accuracy, based on risk, receptivity and likelihood to take action via various outreach modalities. This comprehensive database is a powerful tool that can help employers, health plans and health systems generate social determinants of health insights to proactively address and reduce health disparities and close care gaps across diverse populations, including Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid members who are at increased risk.
• Delivering personalized, digital-first health solutions that combine technology, gamification, behavior science, live specialist support and a robust ecosystem into a unified, seamless experience to engage users in improving their health and wellbeing every day.
• Targeting activation across a broad range of individuals including employees, patients, consumers, and health plan members, including Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid populations, to drive tangible health outcomes through multi-channel outreach and motivating them with integrated incentives. This “surround-sound” activation, when amplified through a platform that users interact with on a daily basis, acts as an engagement multiplier and is a key driver of health and wellbeing outcomes.

Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Virgin Pulse is backed by Marlin Equity Partners, a global investment firm with over $7.7 billion of capital under management. Evercore and Lazard acted as financial advisors, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Virgin Pulse. UBS Securities LLC acted as financial advisor and Shearman & Sterling LLP served as legal advisor to Welltok.

About Virgin Pulse
Virgin Pulse is the leading global provider of health and wellbeing solutions designed to drive outcomes and reduce costs by enabling better decision-making across the full care continuum — from prevention and wellbeing to pre-chronic and chronic disease management to episodic and acute care. Featuring the industry’s only true Homebase for Health^®, a personalized ecosystem where Virgin Pulse clients and members can access, navigate and interact with their health, wellbeing and benefits in one, trusted and familiar place, Virgin Pulse’s solutions fuse high-tech, high-touch, predictive analytics, AI and data to unify and simplify health and wellbeing. Today, thousands of organizations and over 14 million users in more than 190 countries are using Virgin Pulse to change their lives – and businesses – for good. For more tips and insights, connect with us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Welltok
Welltok drives consumer actions that matter. Only Welltok can predict with up to 90% accuracy people’s needs and their likelihood to take action, and engage them with integrated multi-channel outreach to maximize results. By delivering personalized content and resources, Welltok ensures more individuals take critical actions like scheduling an annual check-up, selecting insurance coverage or refilling medications. As the award-winning consumer activation company, healthcare organizations and others trust Welltok to connect with their populations in meaningful ways.

press@virginpulse.com

LATHAM, N.Y., Nov. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG), a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, has announced today its 2021 third quarter results. The quarterly shareholder letter has been posted at https://www.ir.plugpower.com/Q321Plug.

A conference call will be held today, November 9, 2021.

• Time: 4:30 pm ET
• Toll-free: 800-942-2493; 212-271-4651
• Direct webcast: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1510051&tp_key=525497cacf

Both the shareholder letter and webcast can be accessed at www.plugpower.com, on the company’s home and investor relations pages. A playback of the call will be available online for a period following the event.

About Plug Power Inc.

Plug Power is building the hydrogen economy as the leading provider of comprehensive hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) turnkey solutions. The Company’s innovative technology powers electric motors with hydrogen fuel cells amid an ongoing paradigm shift in the power, energy, and transportation industries to address climate change and energy security, while providing efficiency gains and meeting sustainability goals.

Plug Power created the first commercially viable market for hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) technology. As a result, the Company has deployed over 50,000 fuel cell systems for e-mobility, more than anyone else in the world, and has become the largest buyer of liquid hydrogen, having built and operated a hydrogen highway across North America. Plug Power delivers a significant value proposition to end-customers, including meaningful environmental benefits, efficiency gains, fast fueling, and lower operational costs.

Plug Power’s vertically integrated GenKey solution ties together all critical elements to power, fuel, and provide service to customers such as Amazon, BMW, The Southern Company, Carrefour, and Walmart. The Company is now leveraging its know-how, modular product architecture and foundational customers to rapidly expand into other key markets including zero-emission on-road vehicles, robotics, and data centers.

SOURCE: PLUG POWER

Plug Power Media Contact
Caitlin Coffee
Allison+Partners
(312) 635-8204
PlugPR@allisonpr.com

Digital Revolution in the hotel industry

Digital Revolution in the hotel industry in the upcoming years will change the entire industry

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Barrows, the provider of hotel investment and advisory services for hotels in the Middle East and Africa, is preparing for a new digital revolution in making the hotel industry smarter.

Anyone who thinks we are already there with digitization in the hospitality industry could not be further from wrong. Service and Hospitality will innovate enormously in the years to come through numerous sleek technological applications and making buildings intelligent.

By providing the hotel buildings with intelligent applications aimed at high-quality guest service during the construction phase, the use of smart technology in the workplace becomes a natural result.

This concerns, for example, digital check-in and check-out and accelerated streamlining of payment processes while the hotel guest is inconvenienced as little as possible or would have to wait a long time.

Fully automating the daily room check can save a lot of time and money, while the hotel room is always fully equipped with a full minibar, clean linen and a fully disinfected bathroom and toilet. All of these things can be fully automated and reduce costs for management, says Chairman Erwin Jager of Barrows Hotel Enterprises.

“Logically, where people work, mistakes are been made. With the use of automation and smart technology, this is prevented while customer satisfaction increases. It is true that human hands are needed to change the beds, but the supply and control can be fully automated in such a way that every hotel room receives the right attention day in, day out. Why still work with customer-unfriendly water boilers, while there are already wonderful solutions for this that benefit customer-friendliness. I never understand the way some hotel operators are running their hotel. Always look true the eyes of the guest and create the best possible experience while staying in your hotel,” says Erwin Jager of Barrows.

With the use of new smart next gen technology, hotel management is much better able to optimize the attention for the customer. Consider, for example, the integration of sustainable eco green energy technology that always allows the building to be air-conditioned in the most sustainable way, and doors that can be opened with a smartphone, instead of the annoying cards that are very customer-unfriendly and unhygienic.

The coming decades will be very interesting for the hotel industry. High End next Gen applications will be developed in particular from the Tech industry to serve building and management in such a way that the hotel guest will automatically gets all the attention and therefore get the ultimate experience when staying in a hotel.

Hotel guests should not experience any form of nuisance and that is exactly what we stand for at Barrows. We do not settle for less, but add value and optimize the daily business process in the hotel chain.

Hospitality means serving people. That is a conscious choice for people who work in the hospitality industry, every day again. We are serving and we are proud of and good at it.

Barrows Hotel Enterprises internationally manages over 10,000 hotel rooms in more than 10 countries. The company started in 2008 as a real estate investor in the residential market in Dubai. Since 2012, Barrows has changed its strategy and the company is fully focused on the fast-growing hotel industry in the Middle East. Since 2020 Barrows is active in the African Continent.

For more information:
media@barrowshotels.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/95998c79-c2c1-45e9-920f-f2b5a3622913

Appointment of former New Zealand ambassador and establishment of a Vietnam HQ furthering the expansion strategy and growing regional expertise to the international education leader’s global footprint

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Nov. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sannam S4, a leading international education services provider, today announced the appointment of the former New Zealand Ambassador Mr. Haike Manning as Executive Director, South East Asia and through the acquisition of the education business of LightPath Consulting Group, acquires a presence in Vietnam.

Manning’s appointment and the acquisition of LightPath Consulting Group’s education practice brings Sannam S4 an established local presence in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam which immediately delivers a range of international education support services to globally ambitious education partners. Manning, in his newly-created role, will bring years of experience in diplomacy and trade negotiations to the job and will lead Sannam S4’s expansion in the high-potential, fast-growing Southeast Asia region. Manning has been based in Vietnam since 2012.

“Over the last few years, Vietnam has become the hot-ticket in the region for education opportunities from K12 through EdTech and Higher Education, given its strong demographic and economic trends. We’ve seen an exponential rise in the number of enquiries for market entry, strategy or operational support in the country, so I am delighted we will now have a strong offering on the ground under Haike’s leadership. The new Ho Chi Minh City operation complements our South East Asia office in Kuala Lumpur perfectly, offering the ideal combination of a well-connected hub city to serve the wider region, with deep on the ground expertise in the most exciting individual market.” – Michael Bartlett, Sannam S4 Managing Director of Education

“I am tremendously excited to be joining Sannam S4, especially during its current period of rapid and ambitious global expansion,” said Manning. “Their unrivaled expertise in key markets have set an industry standard, as does the energy and dynamism of the company.”

Manning trained as a lawyer before joining the Foreign Service. Previous offshore assignments included New Delhi as Deputy Chief of Mission for New Zealand, Acting Consul General in Shanghai, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Brazil.

Manning was also a senior trade negotiator for New Zealand at the World Trade Organization and in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. After four years working in that capacity, he was awarded an ambassadorship to Vietnam, a country Manning specifically selected due to its economic potential.

“I could see Vietnam’s compelling growth story,” Manning said, “and the opportunity to really shape New Zealand’s engagement with an emerging Vietnam.”

During his four years as ambassador Manning saw potential for strong educational ties between the two countries. At that time, Vietnamese students were opting to study in the US or Australia, so Manning dedicated time messaging and publicising New Zealand’s academic offer. Vietnamese student numbers to New Zealand grew strongly in the following years.

In an acknowledgement of his efforts to promote education linkages, Manning was awarded the Official Medal for the Cause of Education by the Vietnamese government.

Manning established LightPath in 2017, inspired by a vision of building a bridge between Vietnam and international education opportunities.

“Human resource development – education – is a critical part of the puzzle for Vietnam in terms of its future development. There’s an amazing opportunity here to support Vietnam in its growth story through international education, and I’m honored to play a part in this story,” said Manning.

Sannam S4 is the preferred global partner for strategic and sustainable expansion in international higher education. By providing local expertise, a global perspective and data analysis, we help partners confidently explore, enter and expand into dynamic, high-growth markets.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Stacey Lane- Head of Communications
Stacey.Lane@sannams4.com

Located in the UK, GiftChill recently revamped its website. As an international leader in the gift card industry, GiftChill offers a unique one-stop-shop experience for customers seeking to purchase gift cards online. Customers can now use the GiftChill website to browse hundreds of featured gift cards, check product reviews, and order gift cards online.

Buy Gift Cards with Bitcoin and Altcoins

Buy Gift Cards with Bitcoin and Altcoins

SINGAPORE, Nov. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Located in the UK, GiftChill recently revamped its website. As an international leader in the gift card industry, GiftChill offers a unique one-stop-shop experience for customers seeking to purchase gift cards online. Customers can now use the GiftChill website to browse hundreds of featured gift cards, check product reviews, and order gift cards online.

The GiftChill website offers a simple, secure online registration process that takes most people less than 60 seconds to complete. Once the registration process is complete, account holders can place orders for gift cards with just a few clicks.

Upon completion of their online purchase, customers can expect to receive their gift card code instantly. Each gift card code is delivered to the email address the customer provided during registration. Codes are accompanied by instructions that include helpful tips about using the gift card online or in stores.

GiftChill’s updated site also plays a key role in helping customers save money when purchasing gift cards. Because GiftChill does not have to integrate with credit card companies or Paypal, GiftChill is able to minimize overhead costs. The savings are passed along to customers who are able to buy gift cards at a lower price. The new website may soon feature daily specials to enable GiftChill customers to maximize their ROI.

Customer privacy is a top priority for the GiftChill team. In contrast to other websites that require buyers to provide a large amount of detailed personal information, GiftChill’s registration process requires customers to provide the bare minimum amount of information that is required by law. Account holders can therefore complete transactions with peace of mind knowing that every effort has been made to protect their privacy.

GiftChill takes their commitment to privacy a step further by enabling customers to buy gift cards through their website using six popular cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and USDC. This means buyers are never required to enter their credit card information when making a purchase. Additional payment options are also under consideration as the GiftChill team strives to combat any unnecessary credit card use on their website.

Providing buyers with a hassle-free purchasing experience is a primary goal for GiftChill. By keeping the registration process simple and offering attractive payment modalities, customers can enjoy a fast, seamless buying experience. At the same time, customers never have to settle for an uninspiring gift card purchase. The GiftChill site features over 200 gift card options that change every day.

To learn more about their discounted gift cards, you can contact them on Support@giftchill.co.uk. Their dedicated team of professionals is committed to providing customers with a wide variety of affordable gift card options.

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• Buy Gift Cards with Bitcoin and Altcoins