BlackBerry has invested in healthcare IT company NantHealth, in a move that will see the tech firms collaborate on the development of government privacy certified, integrated clinical systems.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen says the investment and planned collaboration is in line with the struggling Canadian smartphone maker's "end-to-end" solutions.
"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."
BlackBerry is fighting to stay relevant in the smartphone market, an arena in which it once was a pioneer. The company is now fighting to reduce its losses, and is starting to focus on expanding its services segment that caters to the needs of large clients like banks, law firms and government agencies, among others.
Founded by medical entrepreneur Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, the NantHealth platform is installed at approximately 250 hospitals, and connects more than 16 000 medical devices collecting over three billion vital signs annually.
Soon-Shiong says BlackBerry will help NantHealth expand its platform and make it available for wider deployment through a secure mobile device. "The future of the healthcare industry requires the ability to share information securely and quickly, whether device-to-device or doctor-to-doctor, anywhere and at any time."
Details of the intended collaboration are still in development.
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