Royal Philips has formed a strategic alliance with WellSpan Health, a healthcare system in Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland. The seven-year alliance establishes a new research and innovation collaboration and brings new advanced imaging and diagnostics technology products and platforms to patients across the region. The alliance is the latest addition to WellSpan’s growing innovation ecosystem, with the goal of positioning the system as a national leader in the application of artificial intelligence and technology in healthcare, according to Philips.
“As WellSpan has grown in clinical capability, so has our responsibility to be more intentional about how we plan, deploy and support the life-saving technology our teams and patients rely on,” says WellSpan president and CEO Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, RN. “This collaboration gives us that foundation, bringing consistency and coordination across our entire system, advancing digital and AI-enabled care and building a leading research and co-development platform that will transform the future of healthcare. Community health systems like WellSpan are where most Americans receive care, and we are proving they belong at the center of healthcare innovation.”
The collaboration includes a research agreement and joint innovation strategy, the first of its kind between Philips and a U.S. community health system, which will focus on validating the performance of new tools and technology. Research is expected to examine how AI and digital tools are improving throughput, cost, and workflow efficiency, aimed at advancing WellSpan’s commitment to reclaim more than a half million hours of workforce time annually.
In addition, the innovation component of this relationship will allow WellSpan, together with Philips Research, to co-develop net-new products and features that advance care delivery. This work will draw on Philips' R&D pipeline to design and develop future generations of health care technology, with WellSpan serving as both a proving ground and a co-creator.
A long-term commercial agreement establishes Philips as WellSpan’s preferred vendor across all applicable imaging modalities (CT, MR, digital x-ray, ultrasound, and image-guided therapy). The agreement covers all 12 WellSpan hospitals, as well as its diagnostic imaging centers and ambulatory surgery centers, ensuring a consistent experience for patients wherever they need care. A defining feature of the commercial agreement is its structured approach to technology lifecycle management: WellSpan and Philips will align equipment, service, training, and upgrade planning under a single coordinated framework, enabling more consistent imaging availability across sites, reducing gaps in access for patients, and laying the foundation for continued innovation.
“This collaboration builds on a long-standing relationship between Philips and WellSpan, and it also marks an important evolution in how we work together,” notes Roy Jakobs, CEO, Royal Philips. “By combining our health technology leadership with WellSpan’s clinical expertise and research focus, we’re creating a long-term alliance designed to drive measurable improvements in patient care quality, operational performance and innovation. Together, we’re establishing a scalable, AI-driven, platform-based approach that supports clinicians today while shaping how care is delivered in the future.”
