partnering with Duke University on ‘real change in the way healthcare is delivered.’ Now both Editors have heard these honeyed, catnippy words before (GE Healthcare comes painfully to mind) but aside from there being no acquisition of a small, early-stage, starved-for-funding company, where it is different is its applied research, business focus. Verizon will provide computing infrastructure and technical horsepower; Duke will provide research and intellectual property. What is more, they are focusing on consumer rather than clinical applications, with mobile health and patient ed right in the lead.
Is the difference this? Smaller AT&T is focused on getting health and other lifestyle products to the consumer, using its retail might, as quickly as possible to create a new niche (and hang on while T-Mobile’s acquisition drags on in FCC approval); Verizon is taking the higher, longer way home to the same end because it can afford to bet the larger stakes, in view to gain a larger reward.
More in this analysis on the Verizon/Duke partnership from Porter Research: Duke & Verizon: unleashing the potential of healthcare IT. Hat tip to author Jennifer Dennard of Porter.