Health-IT Joint Venture to Focus on Senior Care

Intel Corp. and GE Healthcare formed a 50/50 joint venture to create products for patients with chronic diseases and for elderly people at home or in assisted living around the world. The new company will be formed by combining assets of GE Healthcare's Home Health Division and Intel's Digital Health Group. It follows the GE-Intel healthcare alliance announced in April 2009 around independent living and chronic disease management. The venture will focus on three major segments: Chronic disease management-Products and services to help patients and their caregivers manage common conditions, including congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and diabetes. Independent living-Wireless passive-behavioral monitoring products to help keep the elderly living independently in their homes longer or more safely and comfortably in assisted living communities. Assistive technologies-Products to enable people with learning disabilities or visual impairments. Combined Assets Intel's healthcare contributions will include its remote patient monitoring and assistive technology products as well as its independent living concepts, including the Intel Health Guide and the Intel Reader. Intel Health Guide-A comprehensive remote health management solution that combines an in-home patient device with an online interface that allows clinicians to monitor patients in their homes and manage care remotely. The Intel Health Guide is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and Australia, with pilot deployments also announced in Spain, Germany and France. Intel Reader-A mobile handheld device designed to increase independence for people who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, or have low vision or blindness or for anyone who struggles with reading standard print. The Intel Reader is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland. Intel will also bring its expertise in the development of user-friendly technology interfaces for products and tools for online cognitive assessment and social interaction, all of which will be vital to the design of easy-to-use home-based health products. Intel will continue to develop the foundational architecture for healthcare IT innovation with processors, platform definition and system architecture, which will help enable the industry to drive toward lower costs and a higher quality of life for patients. GE Healthcare's Home Health Division will contribute its technology for elder care, GE QuietCare. GE Healthcare's QuietCare-A remote passive activity and behavioral monitoring system for seniors, which alerts caregivers to changes that may signal potential health issues or emergency situations. It is used primarily in assisted living facilities across the United States. GE Healthcare also brings its knowledge in the development of products for critical care patient monitoring, cardiac diagnostics, home respiratory care and healthcare IT, such as electronic medical records and clinical decisions support. The new company will also have access to GE Healthcare's expertise in clinical workflow design and its broad, global distribution network.
Joint Venture The global joint venture will have headquarters in the greater Sacramento, CA area. Pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, the joint venture is expected to become operational by the end of the year. Omar Ishrak, senior vice president of GE and president and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems, will be chairman of the board. Louis Burns, vice president and general manager of the Digital Health Group, will be CEO. Other management appointments will be announced at a later date.(the end) Source: GE HealthcareNike Odyssey React