Healthcare IT Giants Announce Joint Venture

General Electric Co. and Microsoft Corp. have announced plans to create a joint venture aimed at helping the healthcare industry use real-time, system-wide intelligence to improve healthcare quality and patient experience.

According to GE and Microsoft, the joint venture will develop and market an open, interoperable technology platform and clinical applications focused on enabling better population health management to improve outcomes and the overall economics of healthcare.

"The global healthcare challenges of access, cost and quality of care delivery are creating a new focus on the performance and accountability of healthcare delivery systems — in every country, at every level of care. This venture will demonstrate what is possible when leading companies with complementary capabilities work together to meet a common goal," said Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE.

Microsoft will contribute its Amalga enterprise health intelligence platform, Vergence single sign-on and context management solution, and expreSSO enterprise sign-on solution. GE Healthcare will provide its eHealth health information exchange, and the Qualibria clinical knowledge application environment being developed in conjunction with Intermountain Healthcare and the Mayo Clinic.

In addition to software created by in-house developers, the new platform will allow healthcare providers and independent software vendors to develop new clinical applications. Moreover, GE Healthcare IT will immediately be able to connect existing products to the platform, helping current customers to derive new insights.

"High-quality, affordable healthcare is one of the biggest challenges facing every nation, but it's also an area where technology can make a huge difference," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "Combining Microsoft's open, interoperable health platforms and software expertise with GE's experience and healthcare solutions will create exciting opportunities for patients and healthcare providers alike. Working together, GE and Microsoft can help make healthcare systems more intelligent and cost efficient while improving patient care."

GE and Microsoft said the long-term vision of the venture is to create new value by offering a healthcare performance management suite that provides the information and insight required to help address many of today's critical problems in the healthcare system, such as the high rate of healthcare-associated infections and the management of chronic diseases.

The new venture, which has yet to be named, will be headquartered in the U.S. and operate globally. Michael J. Simpson, vice president and general manager at GE Healthcare IT, will serve as the company's CEO.

Source: AustralianIT