GE Healthcare Partners Roche For Improved Critical Care

GE Healthcare, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) , has entered into a partnership with Roche Holding (SIX:ROG) AG (OTC:RHHBY) , to create a new digital platform aimed at providing improved healthcare services.

GE Healthcare and Roche are two big names in the healthcare industry. Roche is the world’s leading biopharmaceutical and in-vitro diagnostics company. It has also made a name for itself for research in the field of medical science, and cancer research and treatments.

The strategic partnership is aimed at developing software that will facilitate diagnosis in a speedier and more accurate manner. The primary focus will be on providing personalized treatment to cancer and critical care patients. Improved products for treating such individual cases will be developed initially. Thereafter, using advanced analytics, in-vivo data provided by GE’s equipment and in-vitro data provided by Roche, will be integrated.

With the help of advanced technology, data about individual patients will be collated from various sources like vivo diagnostics, lifestyle sensors, labs, electronic records, clinical trial data, genomic data, physicians and also from patients themselves. The data will include a complete history of the patient’s medical records and treatments undergone along with the latest research and practices in medical science. With such a holistic view of the patient’s overall health, appropriate remedies and treatments can be easily determined.

Such a platform will also enable multiple specialists to discuss, collaborate, review treatments and their outcomes as a team. Particularly for cancer patients, the disease can be monitored and treated at each stage.

GE is currently undergoing drastic portfolio restructuring initiatives and has even halved its dividend to improve liquidity. CEO John Flannery has decided to focus on just three core segments — power, aviation and health-care equipment and gradually exit all other businesses. The collaboration with Roche is a positive step in this regard and will likely augment GE’s leading position in the healthcare industry. With such strategic partnerships, GE further aims to revive its fortune as it has underperformed the industry in the last three months, with an average loss of 20.9%, significantly wider than a decline of 0.3% for the latter.

GE currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Better-ranked stocks in the industry include 3M Company (NYSE:MMM) and Raven Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:RAVN) each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

3M has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 10.2%. It has surpassed estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters with an average positive surprise of 2.5%.

Raven has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 10%. It has exceeded estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters with an average beat of 25.8%.

5 Medical Stocks to Buy Now

Zacks names 5 companies poised to ride a medical breakthrough that is targeting cures for leukemia, AIDS, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, and other conditions.

New products in this field are already generating substantial revenue and even more wondrous treatments are in the pipeline. Early investors could realize exceptional profits.

Click here to see the 5 stocks >>