Back in January of 2011, Intel partnered its technological know-how with GE’s healthcare expertise to create Care Innovations, a joint venture that creates technology-based solutions to enable people to live independently and safely. The partnership is now looking to narrow its focus to aging in place with a new emphasis on senior care coordination, according to MobiHealthNews, and is thinking about selling or discontinuing its Intel Reader product.
Intel Reader is a text-to-speech converter for people with vision impairments, but Care Innovations is looking into consolidating its product offerings to center around aging-related issues.
MobiHealthNews reports:
“We’re going to double down on our whole effort around aging,” Care Innovations CEO Louis Burns tells MobiHealthNews. “We decided that it’s time to stop viewing the concepts of disease management and home monitoring as two separate entities.”
Instead, Care Innovations has consolidated all of its products in these categories under one manager. This product lineup includes the QuietCare motion-sensing system, the Connect touch-screen communications device, the Link personal emergency response system and Guide – formerly Intel Health Guide – a wireless home monitoring hub that has FDA clearance.
With this move, Burns says Care Innovations has “gotten a little smaller” in terms of personnel, but would not give specifics. Some people have been shifted into new jobs, he adds.
AdvertisementAs for Reader, Care Innovations will cease its own development of the device, according to Burns, but will continue to provide support to existing customers unless another entity buys the rights. The company has not determined whether it will sell off or discontinue Reader, though Burns says he has been in talks with potential purchasers.
Burns believes the consolidation will help promote better coordination by improving communications between all of those who provide care for a given patient, whether healthcare professionals, family members or the staff of senior living facilities. “We have a very strong belief that enabling the care team is very important,” Burns says.
Although he couldn’t say too much about what the next generation of Care Innovations systems will look like, Burns did indicate that he wants future products to have better connectivity with health IT systems, such as electronic health records, and be able to interface with health devices from other technology developers.
Read the full piece at MobiHealthNews.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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