Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) and UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) are partnering to develop a
national telemedicine network. Built on Cisco's video conferencing, broadband and networking capabilities, the network will allow doctors and hospitals to connect with patients, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, via video terminals in homes, workplace and retail sites, and other locales. The initiative also includes plans to enable electronic health records from multiple vendors to be integrated. UnitedHealth has said it will invest "tens of millions of dollars" to fund the project.
Through its Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco has been providing network services to the healthcare industry for years. The partnership with UnitedHealth is built on Cisco's recently launched
HealthPresence technology, a communication and collaboration platform to facilitate telemedicine.
It's an industry that is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years.
Telemedicine is a pillar of President Obama's healthcare system overhaul. More than $20 billion in federal economic stimulus funds are earmarked for digitizing medical records and another $6 billion to support telemedicine.
- Suzanne Stevens
Juergen Lasowski
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