Digital ecosystems are an ideal prescription for the healthcare sector, where new levels of connectedness are transforming the journey from diagnosis to treatment to outcome.
Proving the allure of connected healthcare to major players in and around the sector, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies (JJMDC) and Microsoft are linking up to integrate Microsoft’s cloud computing capabilities across JJMDC’s medical ecosystem.
In a Monday (Jan. 10) statement, Johnson & Johnson said it will “collaborate with Microsoft to further enable and expand JJMDC’s secure and compliant digital surgery ecosystem. The Microsoft Cloud will help JJMDC realize its vision of driving innovation that advances skills, improves workflow, and enhances surgical decision making for a better overall customer experience and improved patient and economic outcomes.”
With a med tech portfolio including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics, imaging, data and analytics, J&J said, “To mobilize the potential of these assets and make a clinical difference for patients, it is imperative to establish robust connectivity with, and between, all elements of the ecosystem with a seamless, interconnected network that meets surgeons where they are in their workflow and patients where they are in their healthcare journey.”
That’s where Azure comes in. Under the new strategic agreement, Microsoft becomes JJMDC’s preferred cloud provider for digital surgery solutions, and to “help JJMDC build out its digital surgery platform and internet of things (IoT) device connectivity.”
Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing, AI and machine learning platform integrated with its ERP tools provides the connectivity and computing muscle J&J now needs.
Initial focus is on “innovating to improve patient outcomes through artificial intelligence, machine learning and data insights, increasing JJMDC device connectivity, insights and intelligence using Azure IoT and Edge Computing technologies [and] increasing the pace of digital innovation and transformation across the JJMDC digital surgery ecosystem using Azure capabilities and services.”
This announcement is the first of many expected around connected healthcare this year.
As Karen Webster wrote on Monday (Jan. 10), “In healthcare, logistics is about integrating data and diagnostic connected devices into the online experience to make the digital visit as informative as the physical one.” This pact does that while suggesting a model for others.
Johnson & Johnson Group CIO and Global Vice President, Medical Devices Larry Jones, said, “Collaborating with Microsoft will help take our digital approach to the next level as we create a best-in-class, unified platform across our innovative surgical technologies. It brings together our collective expertise and is an exciting step towards creating a connected patient journey across the entire care continuum, before, during, and after a procedure.”
Identifying health as one of what PYMNTS calls the eight “pillars” of the connected economy, the report How Consumers Live In The ConnectedEconomy™ notes that “synergies can be found across the economy today, including the rise of remote collaboration platforms as well as healthcare’s shift to telemedicine. In many areas, digital technology is not simply enhancing consumers’ experiences but fundamentally changing how individuals accomplish age-old needs and wants, including eating, working, having fun and staying healthy.”
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