Technology Giants GE And Intel Invest $250 Million In Telehealth Development

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Article Date: 02 Apr 2009 - 10:00 PDT

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General Electric and Intel are forming a Healthcare Alliance and investing 250 million dollars to develop and market new "telehealth" technologies that will help patients with chronic diseases and their doctors manage their conditions from the comfort of their own home and also help seniors retain their independence.

The two companies announced their intention to move into home based health technologies together earlier today. They estimate that the market for such products will grow from the current 3 billion US dollars to 7.7 billion by 2021.

The main driver of the market is the growth in the number of patients with chronic conditions and an aging population: together these will put pressure on to extend healthcare from the hospital into the home.

The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics predicts that by 2030 there will be about 72 million Americans over the age of 65, nearly 20 per cent of the US population. This is nearly double the 37 million from 2006.

The companies said that they will be bringing together their complementary skills to focus on the next generation of home health technology, and expanding their current developments in home health and independent living technologies into new areas such as preventing falls, helping people stick to their medication schedules, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, sleep apnea, and monitoring personal health.

The alliance is underpinned by a commercial business agreement whereby GE Healthcare will sell and market the Intel Health Guide (a personal tool that allows doctors to manage home-based patients with chronic conditions) in the US. The tool allows patients to monitor their own health and communicate with their doctors and healthcare professionals.

In a press release, the companies said the alliance has the potential to lower national healthcare costs by keeping millions of Americans out of hospitals while still giving doctors the information they need to monitor health and deliver care.

Most of the new investments in healthcare today tend to focus on using more technology in traditional healthcare settings, and while these are important investments to make, and will help to make the system more efficient, they are not enough to transform the system, which is reaching saturation point, they said.

GE and Intel are not new to the healthcare market; both companies have some strong brands like GE Quiet Care which alerts caregivers to changes in activity and behaviour of their senior charges that may signal potential health issues or an emergency (eg a fall).

The Intel Health Guide is already in use as an in-home patient monitor with an online interface to the doctor; it collects vital signs, alerts patients about drugs to take and other scheduled events, and provides video conferencing. This can be extended to provide the doctor with diagnostic tools, for instance to do online cognitive tests.

Sources: Intel press room.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
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