Boston-based Partners HealthCare and GE Healthcare have entered into a decade-long collaboration to develop and integrate artificial intelligence and deep learning technology across the healthcare continuum.
The aim of the collaboration is to develop AI technology that can be implemented at every stage of a patient's journey through the healthcare system. The technology will enable physicians to streamline clinical workflows as well as increase the time a physician has to spend with the patient.
Partners and GE teams will also co-develop an open platform on which both organizations and third party developers can create and validate their applications to share with healthcare facilities worldwide.
Initially, the partnership will focus on applications that enhance clinician productivity and patient outcomes in diagnostic imaging. Three main factors will drive application development: patient impact, technical capability and market appetite.
The newly established Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital's Center for Clinical Data Science will execute the collaboration.
"Clinicians are inundated with data, and the patient experience suffers from inefficiencies in the healthcare industry," said David Torchiana, MD, CEO of Partners HealthCare. "By combining the expertise at Mass General and Brigham and Women's with the spirit of innovation at GE, this partnership has the resources and vision to accelerate the development and adoption of deep learning technology. Together, we can empower clinicians with the tools needed to store, analyze and leverage the flood of information to more effectively deliver care to patients."
The partnership announcement comes soon after Partners reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2017. With the results, the health system announced a major cost-cutting initiative, intending to slash $600 million from its operating budget over three years. The initiative will begin October 1.