SCOTTY Group plc, which designs and markets video telecommunications equipment and technology, has signed a new € 1.5 m contract with KPN, the leading Dutch telecommunications company.
The contract is for the delivery of 1200 CareStation140 units plus peripherals, cameras, StatIX server software and related services. An initial order of 510 CareStation140 units will be delivered in September 2006.
The SCOTTY products will supply a Dutch government funded telehealth project named KOALA which is the largest Dutch telehealth initiative. Patients who have conditions such as diabetes are given SCOTTY's CareStation140 videophones in their homes to provide remote access to healthcare workers. A patient simply pushes a button on his TV remote control to create a live video connection to a nursing care centre. The patient's medical records appears on a nurse's screen at the online call centre and the nurse's face and name are displayed on the patient's TV. Medical devices such as blood pressure monitors or glucose level meters are monitored by SCOTTY's unique software and the nurse/carer determines whether to provide treatment advice to the patient online or send a healthcare worker to the patient's home. This reduces the number of home visits needed and the associated costs incurred.
KOALA project partners are:
•KPN, the leading Dutch telecommunications provider;
•Sensire/Thuiszorg Groningen, the largest Dutch home care provider; and
•Menzis, a major Dutch health insurance company.
SCOTTY has sold around 2000 systems in The Netherlands and is targeting other European countries with a similar social system.
SCOTTY also recently signed a cooperation agreement with Telekom Austria and Volkshilfe. Telekom Austria is the leading telecoms company in Austria and Volkshilfe is the largest home care provider in the Austrian market. The agreement is to supply equipment for healthcare services via video based on SCOTTY's unique CareStation.NET solution. The intention is to start a project
similar to KOALA in Austria in 2007.
Kurt Kerschat, CEO of SCOTTY Group plc, commented: "We are delighted to be working with such an established company as KPN. This contract follows on from our initial entrance into the Dutch Telehealth market last year. SCOTTY's Telehealth products allow patients direct access to medical professionals from their own home, providing comfort and significant cost savings for care providers. The recent cooperation agreement with Telekom Austria and Volkshilfe offers an exciting opportunity to provide our expertise in a further market."
