New York - Going to the doctor could become a thing of the
past for many people if the telemedicine plans by Intel and General
Electric come to fruition.
The two giant US companies announced Thursday that they are
teaming up to produce a line of medical devices, including one that
would allow doctors to remotely monitor patients' health without them
needing to visit the doctor's office.
The companies said they will invest a total of 250 million dollars
to develop the Intel Health Guide and other products. The device,
which Intel started marketing to healthcare providers and insurance
companies in November 2008, allows physicians to video conference
with patients, check vital signs like blood pressure and weight over
the internet and provide patients with reminders related to their
health.
Future versions of the telemedicine device could include video
connections and other health monitoring systems. The products could
represent a huge market in the US and around the world as health care
systems struggle to deal with the medical costs of their ageing
populations. By allowing medical workers to check patients and
improve care outside of medical facilities such devices could save
huge amounts, the companies said in announcing their alliance.
According to research firm Telehealth the market for home
monitoring products in the US will grow from 3 billion dollars in
2009 to 7.7 billion dollars by 2012.
It should grow even faster after that as new technology comes
online and the number of seniors grows. According to the US
government 20 per cent of the US population, or 71.5 million people
will be over 65 by the year 2030, compared to 37 million senior
Americans in 2006.
'The GE and Intel partnership will not only help seniors and the
chronically ill, but will also take a giant step forward in changing
how healthcare is delivered,' said Intel CEO Paul Otellini.
'Something like 80 per cent of the spending today in the health
care system is on chronic care patients,' said Otellini. 'This has
the potential to take that down dramatically because a day at home
costs a heck of a lot less than a day in the hospital.'
Otellini said that research showed that keeping patients in their
homes for as long as possible is key to reducing expensive hospital
care costs. Monitoring patients remotely allows them to live
independently but still be monitored, he said, helping prevent
complications that lead to high care costs.
USA
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