From chipware to healthcare: Intel sets sail towards Blue Oceans

Last week, we published two well-received articles aimed at the current state of the global economy:  The overarching theme of our first article, ‘Blue Ocean Strategy:  Innovate out of the economic downturn,’ was that Blue Ocean Strategy is especially important and relevant during difficult times because it pursues increased customer value and cost savings simultaneously.  While the topic of the second article, ‘Will you be a lava casualty?’  was that all industries are subject to external trends, which companies  need to consider in their strategic thinking.

Inspired by these stories, readers asked for more examples of Blue Ocean Strategy-like thinking.  So today, we share the story of how one company, most well-known for its chipware, has tapped into Blue Ocean Strategy-like thinking in order to create an entirely new marketspace far from the one which it currently occupies -- this time in healthcare.

From the San Francisco Business Times: 

Semiconductor giant Intel Corp. took a bold step into health care Monday when it started selling a medical monitor for patients with chronic problems.

The product, named Health Guide, is a medical monitor with a web interface allowing doctors to manage a patient’s care from afar. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device in July.

Santa Clara-based Intel heralded the device as a welcome innovation in a society with a growing population of elderly people. It can be set to ring at particular times to remind patients to answer questions or hook themselves up to blood pressure cuffs or other sensors.

Companies like Advanced Warning Systems Inc. will start using the Intel device to watch heart patients for signs of trouble. In all, four businesses will run pilot programs using the product.

Intel has sought a license to put information from the Mayo Clinic into the system.
   
American Medical Alert Corp. will be the first company to use the devices.

[Image via Mr. Pixel.]