IBM announces new healthcare unit, to collaborate with Apple, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic
International Business Machines Corp (IBM) is launching a new healthcare unit to provide data analytics to healthcare giants such as Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Medtronic. The new Watson Health unit will try to transform efficacy and quality in personal healthcare in collaboration with Apple, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic. The headquarters for Watson Health unit will be based in Boston with 2,000 employees, including 75 medical practitioners. IBM has already purchased Explorys and Phytel, healthtech companies, for an undisclosed amount, to enhance data analytics skills. Apple Inc will integrate Watson-based apps into its HealthKit and ResearchKit tool systems to collect personal health data, which would be used in such data in clinical studies. HealthKit collects and centralizes users’ health data provided by any number of health apps on a device, while ResearchKit lets researchers create diagnostic apps for use on the iPhone. Moreover mPower measures hand tremors as a measure to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. Johnson & Johnson will avail the services of Watson to prepare patients for surgery and help them deal with the aftereffects. Medtronic will work with Watson to collect insights and develop dynamic personalized care plans for diabetic patients.
