Healthcare Technology Featured Article

April 15, 2014

BlackBerry to Join the Healthcare Revolution, Puts Investment in NantHealth


It's no secret that BlackBerry hasn't been doing well in the mobile device sector lately. Formerly the biggest name in mobile productivity out there, the company's offerings have been rapidly overwhelmed by a host of new devices emerging from a range of names, from Apple to Samsung and beyond. But BlackBerry isn't taking its losses lying down, as evidenced by a new investment in NantHealth, a significant name when it comes to information technology (IT) in the healthcare sector.

The investment BlackBerry's bringing to NantHealth will allow the two companies to bring together development on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and similar privacy-certified systems in the field of mobile devices. Since BlackBerry's focus is mainly on devices—with a side of software, as is the case with the QNX operating system—and NantHealth focuses mainly on cloud-based delivery systems, the combination of the two would seem to be a worthwhile pairing.

John Chen, CEO and executive chair for BlackBerry, offered some elaboration on the new plans, saying, “This investment and planned collaboration aligns with the reliability, security and versatility of BlackBerry's end-to-end solutions - from the embedded QNX operating system powering complex medical devices, to secure cloud-based networks, to instantaneous information sharing over BBM Protected. NantHealth is a proven innovator in developing leading platforms that allow medical professionals to share information and deliver care efficiently. BlackBerry's capabilities align closely with NantHealth's and this investment represents the type of forward-looking opportunities that are vital to our future.”

Indeed, with QNX already showing up in several devices—both in the homecare and the hospital segments—and BBM Protected showing its value as a communications tool among the various participants in the healthcare system, BlackBerry has plenty to bring to the table. But NantHealth also has offerings in this field, like the Clinical Operating System, which connects delivery and payment systems, and bringing the two together, along with BlackBerry's reputation for excellence in security, should make the two a terrific match-up in the end.

It's interesting to see that BlackBerry's making more of a play in healthcare, because it's an area that's rapidly growing thanks to certain key points of demographic, like a rapidly aging Baby Boomer market. With the consumer electronics market getting to be a tighter race—some were even wondering if Samsung could keep up due to the declining innovation found in the sector overall.

Finding new ways to use old tools is going to be just as big a part of the market as making new technologies. BlackBerry is putting its tools to work in the healthcare sector is a perfect example of this; with BlackBerry already well-known in the field for its focus on security, and the healthcare sector demanding high-security tools, the end result is a good match. 




Edited by Stefania Viscusi
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