GE HealthCare Acquires Clinical AI Assets from Intelligent Ultrasound
GE HealthCare said last week it will acquire Intelligent Ultrasound Group’s clinical artificial intelligence business. The price for the software purchase is about $51 million, the companies said.
WHY IT MATTERS
Intelligent Ultrasound develops AI-enabled imaging analytics tools that integrate with ultrasound to enable more efficient diagnostics. GE says it will integrate these technologies into its portfolio of ultrasound tools – streamlining workflows and improving ease of use for clinicians.
For example, Intelligent Ultrasound’s ScanNav Assist AI technology already powers SonoLystlive and SonoLyst X/IR, which are available on GE HealthCare’s Voluson ultrasound devices. By fully adopting these tools, GE HealthCare “adds an AI innovation pipeline that will help drive future development and realize long-term efficiencies,” the company says.
GE will bring on board Intelligent Ultrasound’s team of R&D experts to help the company drive AI-driven image recognition and innovation for GE HealthCare Women’s Health ultrasound devices and other devices.
The transaction, which GE HealthCare will finance with cash on hand, is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024. Following the sale, Intelligent Ultrasound said it will continue to operate, with a focus on its high-fidelity ultrasound simulation technology designed to enhance ultrasound education.
THE BIGGER TREND
This new acquisition deal, which follows GE HealthCare’s acquisition of Caption Health in 2023, further expands GE HealthCare’s portfolio of AI-driven devices, which the company says tops the FDA’s list of AI-driven devices cleared by medical technology companies.
GE points out that such technologies are “vital to easing the burden on sonographers,” noting that more than 80% of hospitals report a shortage of radiology technicians — and 90% of sonographers report work-related musculoskeletal disorders due to workloads and repetitive motions, among other factors.”
The goal is that streamlined and automated imaging workflows can reduce manual processes and “provide greater reproducibility between users, allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care.”
ON THE RECORD
“I truly believe we are at the beginning of a wave of AI that will make a big difference in medical imaging, and ultrasound in particular,” said Nick Sleep, Chief Operating Officer at Intelligent Ultrasound, who will join GE HealthCare. “By becoming part of the GE HealthCare family, we will accelerate the adoption of this technology and make ultrasound even easier for customers to use.”
By adding Intelligent Ultrasound software to GE’s ultrasound portfolio, “we’re helping clinicians improve their workflow, reduce repetitive tasks and simplify exams,” added Phil Rackliffe, president and CEO of GE HealthCare’s Ultrasound and Image Guided Therapies. “This technology and the experts who developed it will help enhance our portfolio of AI devices and accelerate our pace of development of next-generation AI tools.”
Mike Miliard is Editor-in-Chief of Healthcare IT News
Email the author: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS.
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