A new partnership between Royal Philips Electronics and Orion Health, a provider of healthcare integration solutions, will help clinicians to integrate new technologies that deliver medical data.

The agreement means that the Orion Health Rhapsody Integration Engine will be deployed across Philips' portfolio of electronic medical devices, thus advancing their interoperability.

The Orion Health Rhapsody delivers advanced inter-system messaging capabilities to healthcare organisations, enabling secure, accurate and efficient exchange of electronic data.

"The simple concept of interoperability can be a daunting task when considering the need to clearly define open interfaces and implement systems in a robust and repeatable fashion, and ensure accurate and secure data transport," said Dale Wiggins, Chief Technology Officer, Patient Care and Clinical Informatics, Philips Healthcare.

"Working with Orion Health, we will be able to better support our customers and help them achieve their healthcare IT goals by establishing interoperable health information systems."

Paul Viskovich, President of Orion Health North America, commented: "Making data from Philips' solutions more accessible to physicians can improve patient outcomes by presenting a more complete clinical record. The electronic exchange of patient data is a critical component of advancing health reform and we're proud to partner with an organisation of Philips' calibre."

Orion Health is a leading provider of clinical workflow and integration technology for healthcare. The company has more than 1,000 clients worldwide, including several NHS hospitals.