Today, GE launched its healthymagination showcase in the heart of New York City. Taking over a former bank building on the corner of bustling 5th Avenue and 44th Street, the two-week event — filled with a mix of seminars and thought leadership panels — highlights the transformative role that technology and innovation play in delivering better health to more people. On display throughout the futuristic space are 23 of GE’s latest healthcare innovations that spotlight breakthroughs in areas such as miniaturization, mobility, healthcare IT and molecular imaging used in cancer detection. The personal impact that these technologies can have is told in a series of patient vignettes told in first-person videos throughout the event space. As the team was prepping the showcase yesterday, we asked Mike Barber, Vice President of healthymagination, and members of his team to tell us what to expect in the weeks ahead.
Each day, healthcare industry working groups, panel discussions, and customer meetings will be held at the showcase, with the focus on a range of topics including: affordable technologies; healthcare reform; home healthcare; and emerging market needs. At the intersection of the technologies and seminar themes is healthymagination, which is GE’s $6 billion commitment to drive new technologies that reduce healthcare costs, while simultaneously increasing access and quality.
For example, GE has committed to developing 100 new innovations as part of the new business initiative. Some are designed to make technology smaller and easier to use, such as the new tablet-sized Venue 40 ultrasound and the MAC 400 portable electrocardiogram machine — both of which are on display. Others focus on the need to help doctors and hospitals cut costs via electronic medical records (EMRs) and computerized solutions that better allocate critical equipment and high-demand operating rooms. The technologies on display are characterized by simplified technology, digital connectivity and an emphasis on diagnosing health issues on the first visit.
Throughout the showcase, we’ll be taking closer looks at these innovations — and deeper-dives into some of the seminar topics — with multiple stories each day on GE Reports.
* Read the announcement about Jeff Immelt’s Oct. 21 press event at the showcase
* Learn more about GE Healthcare
* Watch a video about the new Venue 40 miniature ultrasound
* Read GE Reports’ coverage of the healthymagination launch
Learn more about GE’s healthymagination R&D in these GE Reports stories:
* “Hey, good looking! GE’s medical designs win 5 awards”
* “GE systems boost cancer center case capacity by 900”
* “GE works on better treatments for breast cancer”
* “Vital signs to go wireless with GE’s body sensors”
* “A view with some room: GE’s wider MR scanner”
* “GE’s EMRs: Connecting the docs in 10 communities”
* “$1,000 genome project advances to NIH round two”
* “A look in the lab with GE’s bioscience researchers”
* “Vital signs to go wireless with GE’s body sensors”
* “GE’s software helps Shanghai breathe easier”
