GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) announced today that it signed an agreement with Alliance Medical to create a new digital health solution.
Under the collaboration, the companies will use advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to bring together tools that streamline daily management and enable problem-solving, specifically for diagnostics in radiology departments.
Alliance Medical, a provider of imaging services in Europe, will use GE Healthcare’s analytics offerings, remote collaboration tools and AI to bolster its platforms. Included in that is GE’s Imaging Growth Tile AI app, which will harmonize real-time data from across Alliance Medical sites to predict equipment, utilization and suggest opportunities to optimize scheduling.
The companies said in a news release that the partnership aims to improve patient outcomes by standardizing protocols, minimizing radiation dosage required for imaging and delivering consistent, improved care across multiple sites. The initial agreement centers in the UK, but GE Healthcare and Alliance Medical aim to expand the model into other geographies.
“Radiology departments are facing significant challenges, with severe staff shortages being exacerbated by lengthening patient backlogs,” Alliance Medical Managing Director Richard Evans said in the release. “The result is demand exceeding the capacity to deliver. There is no solution to this problem without innovation, which is exactly what this partnership with GE Healthcare is all about.”
The companies said the new agreement extends an existing partnership that includes a $55.6 million (£45 million) agreement to supply more than 70 medical imaging systems over three years. They have also collaborated on developing a model for rapid diagnostics to speed up cancer diagnosis.
“Our software delivers a brand-new level of 360 visibility, allowing radiology departments to manage complexity and optimise productivity in a way that couldn’t be done before,” GE Healthcare Northern Europe GM Simon McGuire said. “Most important of all, we hope it will unburden clinicians and empower them to focus on what matters most: providing the best patient care possible.”