Independence, Comcast partner on new patient-centered technology platform

One of the country's largest Blue Cross insurers and one of the world's biggest telecommunications companies are teaming up improve healthcare efficiency and care delivery between providers and patients.

The venture between Comcast and Independence Health Group, announced this week, will focus on building a "patient-centered technology and communications platform" that will begin as a pilot in the Philadelphia area before going national in late 2019.

An independent licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Independence Health Group serves nearly 8.5 million members across 24 states and the District of Columbia. 

The goal of the platform is to provide patients with remote healthcare content and information related to their treatment. Getting more healthcare information into the hands of consumers and patients has been a major policy goal of the Trump administration as well. 

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"Through this collaboration, we will explore how we can best use technology to enhance how consumers access and use health care services, which we know at times can be frustrating,” Daniel J. Hilferty, Independence president and CEO, said in a statement. 

The partnership is Comcast's first major investment in the healthcare world, and follows recent steps taken by other companies like Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and possibly Walmart