GE Pushes Forward to Provide Home Health Care

Jacksonville – General Electric (GE), along with fellow technology giant Intel, is hedging forward into the territory of home health care. A newly developing area in the health industry, home health care is providing alternatives for patients outside of doctors’ offices and hospitals.

The partnership between the two companies was announced on Thursday. It involves a joint budget of $250 million over the next five years, devoted to research and development of this growing field. Areas of research include various health resources allowing doctors to remotely monitor patients in their homes. This will also facilitate diagnosis and management for patients unable to physically come in to see their doctors.

Home health development has become a well-known investment facet of both GE and Intel. Over the last few years, GE has formed a small business unit named “GE QuietCare,” an innovative system using motion sensors to monitor geriatric patients. GE QuietCare is currently being utilized in geriatric facilities, such as assisted living and nursing homes, alerting caregivers of worrisome patterns. These “alarms” are set by the caregiver or doctor, and provide around-the-clock monitoring for situations of health crisis or emergency.

Along with GE’s ingenuity, Intel has recently launched a specialized computer system called “Intel Health Guide.” This device provides unique two-way video capability, which can provide continuous visual monitoring of patients by doctors, nurses, or other care providers. The video is sent over the Internet directly to the observer’s receiving device.

In addition to its current position in this field, GE will agree to distribute Intel’s computer system via its global sales force. This is posed to pair well with GE’s firm $17 billion annual business, covering medical imaging to the booming electronic health records sector.

The venture into the growing home health industry is becoming popular among various technology companies, and giants GE and Intel expect this to be a new multibillion-dollar market. Part of this projection is based on the ever-aging population, presenting with a myriad of various chronic diseases requiring more personnel.

By automating care, the companies hope to capitalize on the sector’s increased demand. And, chronic diseases are requiring more care and contributing to sky-rocketing health costs. Heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes alone are responsible for 80% of the nation’s health care costs. Financial impacts are not exclusive from the large health impact of these growing chronic diseases–they account for roughly 7 of 10 deaths in the United States.

By creating an automated health care technology that can be applied to home health care, GE and Intel are addressing the nature of chronic medical conditions. Unless these ailments are appropriately addressed and managed, they worsen with the aging population. Experts project that by 2030, nearly 71.5 million Americans will be 65 years-old or older. This estimate is up from 37 million in 2006.

States chief executive of GE, Jeffrey R. Immelt, “If nothing changes, this is going to be a big business because of the demographics.” GE expects this investment in the quickly developing technology field of health care has vast potential. Immelt says, “But the only way to really change health care is to have some metrics about outcomes and quality. And you need technology to do that.”