GE, Intel to develop home-based health tech

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut — GE and Intel Corp. announced an alliance to market and develop home-based health technologies that will help seniors live independently and patients with chronic conditions manage their care from the comfort of their homes or wherever they choose.

GE Healthcare will sell and market the Intel Health Guide, a care management tool designed for healthcare professionals who manage patients with chronic conditions.

With the dramatic increase of people with chronic conditions and an aging population, there is a need to extend care from the hospital to the home. GE Healthcare and Intel are helping to address pressing issues.

The market for telehealth and home health monitoring is predicted to grow from $3 billion this year to an estimated $7.7 billion by 2010.

GE chairman of the board and chief executive officer Jeff Immelt and Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini announced the alliance, along with an investment of more than $250 million over the next five years for the research and product development of home-based health technologies.