Earlier this spring, El Camino Hospital of Mountain View, California, announced the launch of what it calls the “Genetic Medicine Institute (GMI).” It claims it is the first hospital in the United States to “integrate genomic medicine into healthcare delivery.” El Camino will use the institute to deliver information and counseling services to physicians and patients so they can “make informed decisions about genetic tests and genomic therapies that can lead to earlier intervention, more effective prevention, and improved care.” This moves the hospital forward as a pioneer in offering genetic testing and genetic medicine services.
MORE ON: El Camino
Of particular interest to pathologists and lab managers is the fact that 371-bed El Camino Hospital has contracted with DNA Direct to provide “guidance and decision support” that will enable “community physicians to properly use counseling, tests and targeted therapy.” El Camino has identified nine genetic tests that it will emphasize in the earliest stages of this program.
GE ANNOUNCES $6 BILLION TO FUND HEALTH INITIATIVES
Another confirmation of the revenue potential of serving the American healthcare market came from a major corporation. Last month, General Electric (GE) made a big splash by announcing that it would spend $3 billion during the next six years on research and development to produce innovations that would “lower cost, increase access, and improve quality by 15%” in healthcare. It pledged another $3 billion of financing and technology projects “to drive information technology and health in rural and underserved areas.” GE is using the term “Healthymagination” to describe this effort.
ADD TO: GE Initiative
GE sees healthcare technology as a major engine of growth. Of the $17 billion in revenue generated by its GE Healthcare business unit, only 10% is derived from information technology. According to John Dineen, CEO of GE Healthcare, that will change. “We’re going to approach this with scale,” he said last fall. “ How do we double these types of businesses?”
GENETIX ACQUIRES SLIDEPATH LTD
It’s an interesting acquisition in the digital pathology sector. Ireland-based SlidePath Ltd. was acquired last month by Genetix Group, plc of New Milton, United Kingdom. Both companies have marketed their digital imaging products in the United States.
Dark Daily Update
Have you caught the latest e-briefings from DARK Daily? If so, then you’d know about…
…how hospitals, clinical laboratories, and even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are using Twitter as a different way to immediately deliver news and information. You can get the free DARK Daily e-briefings by signing up at www.darkdaily.com.
