IBM launches $100m healthcare initiative

IBM on Thursday rolled out a $100m initiative to focus its research division on healthcare breakthroughs and new technologies, with plans to hire "dozens" of physicians along with nurses, clinicians and others to collaborate with its scientists.

The $100m (£65m) investment will be delivered over three years and look to meld IBM's systems, services, cloud computing, analytics and new markets such as nanomedicine with real-world patient care. The company's nine research labs as well as other outposts will focus on healthcare along with governments, businesses and universities.

As for focus, IBM said it will focus on three key areas: using raw health data to prove treatment approaches and then deliver personalised care; incentives to shift the healthcare system to one that rewards outcomes instead of volume of care; and privacy and security of patient data.

For more on this story, see IBM to spend $100 million on healthcare research on ZDNet.com.