Konica Minolta, a Japanese technology company known for its printing and medical imaging business, is moving into digital health, starting with telemedicine. Its Business Innovation Center division has launched a pilot with SnapMD as part of a strategic partnership, according to a company statement.
SnapMD enables providers to do virtual care through its Software as a Service platform. Its ambition is to move from serving as a consultation platform to supporting digital medical exams, according to CEO Dave Skibinski.
In response to emailed questions, the vice president of Konica Minolta’s Business Innovation Center in North America, Ekta Sahasi, said it would expand beyond telemedicine but was not specific about the types of technologies it’s pursuing.
“We are looking for unique and differentiated healthcare solutions at the point-of-care. Our initial focus is telemedicine, where we are working with SnapMD because of their well-designed business model and their exceptional, easy to use platform. As the Konica Minolta BIC expands beyond telemedicine, we will be working with more digital health companies to drive an integrated solution set that will deliver superior value to our customers and the patients. We expect to drive rich ecosystem partnerships, investments, and potential acquisitions to accelerate our efforts.”
She added that the strategic partnership with SnapMD would help it to expand customer relationships.
Medical imaging has been a particularly active area for dealflow, with acquisitions in recent years by companies such as IBM and Box as well as by other medical imaging companies looking to grow their product offer by acquisition. The move by Konica Minolta raises some interesting questions about the influence medical imaging companies could have on shaping digital health. I look forward to seeing how Konica Minolta work with SnapMD evolves and what it’s next digital health move will be.
Photo: Konica Minolta
