GE Healthcare Teams Up with Biofourmis to Extend At-Home Patient Monitoring

GE Healthcare is slated to commence the distribution of Biofourmis solutions to customers in the United States starting Q1 2024.

Global medical technology giant GE Healthcare has unveiled a strategic collaboration with at-home patient care provider Biofourmis.

The announcement was made at the ViVE 2024 conference in Los Angeles on Monday.

The collaboration aims to bolster continuity of care to support patients beyond the confines of hospital setting.

As per GE Healthcare, the partnership will enable safe, effective, and accessible healthcare at home.

The collaboration seeks to leverage the combined expertise of both entities to scale and deliver innovative care-at-home solutions.

Sharing thoughts on the same, Ashutosh Banerjee, representing GE Healthcare, said, "Biofourmis’ demonstrated success with care-at-home solutions will extend GE Healthcare's current inpatient monitoring portfolio to support patient care from the hospital to home."

GE Healthcare is slated to commence the distribution of Biofourmis solutions to customers in the United States starting Q1 2024.

Addressing Workforce Shortage

The healthcare landscape in the West is facing a major challenge of workforce shortages, limited bed capacity, and soaring readmission rates leading to escalating cost of care.

Virtual care-at-home programs, thus, have emerged as a promising avenue to address these challenges.

"Combining our companies' demonstrated capabilities will help revolutionize the way we approach the patient care journey as well as help address current challenges faced by health systems including hospital capacity issues and clinical staffing shortages," Banerjee added.

Studies suggest such programs can effectively reduce hospital stays and readmission rates, consequently lowering the overall cost of care.

Moreover, care-at-home initiatives hold the potential to enhance patient recovery and safety, minimizing fall risks and hospital-acquired infections.

Patients utilizing remote solutions in their homes have reported higher satisfaction rates with their overall care experience.

What’s there for Care Providers?

Headquartered in Boston, Biofourmis specializes in offering care-at-home solutions through its digital platform.

It claims to provide connected access to hospital-level services, virtual provider networks for remote care, in-home services, and clinical trials services to biopharma companies.

Through its FDA-cleared AI-guided algorithms, clinical-grade wearable devices, in-home services orchestration technology, and nursing services, the healthtech startup provides remote patient care services.

On the other hand, GE Healthcare's FlexAcuity™ monitoring solutions, coupled with its virtual care solutions such as Mural ICU, Command Center, and Digital CMU provide advanced care solutions in hospital settings.

The integration of Biofourmis' virtual care-at-home solutions, will help GE Healthcare extend the care continuum beyond the hospital and grant care teams a longitudinal view of patient progress, the statement said.

Ross Armstrong, GM, Biofourmis Care, underscored, "Our collaboration will enable health systems and hospitals to leverage the power of technology and data in order to shape patient-focused solutions across the care continuum, no matter where the site of care is."

Rise of Remote Patient Monitoring

While Remote patient monitoring and at home care have emerged as viable solutions to tackle workforce shortage challenges in the west, back in India too, the trend has seen gradual adaptation.

The India Patient Monitoring Market is estimated to reach $2.54 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 7.67% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

Recently, Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru, announced partnership with LifeSigns, an AI-powered health monitoring technology company to provide 24/7 wireless and remote patient monitoring.

In December last year, Mangaluru-based A J Hospital & Research Centre announced the adoption of RPM solution provider Dozee’s advanced – AI-based contactless and continuous Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Early Warning System (EWS).

However, the RPM technology adoption is not limited to care devices alone but has extended to the use of wearable devices as well.

In March 2022, India’s leading care provider Manipal Hospitals announced a partnership with ConnectedLife to use Fitbit's wearable technology to monitor patients' progress after high-risk surgeries.

The move was intended to help patients stay connected after surgeries such as cardiac bypass, angioplasty, and total knee replacement.

Want to know more about how Indian hospitals are integrating healthtech solutions? Read our detailed report here.