Partnership seeks to establish Massachusetts as digital health hub

A group of 16 CEOs and business leaders is looking to turn Massachusetts into the official hub for digital healthcare.

Conceived by the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, the effort is based on the belief that the commonwealth holds the key ingredients to be a major force in digital healthcare. These include brain power, renowned medical centers and entrepreneurial spirit, reports the Boston Globe.

In Massachusetts, digital health means developing cloud-based services for hospitals to house EMRs, writing software to secure patient data, connecting medical devices, analyzing big data, launching health apps and helping consumers navigate and sign up for health insurance. The partnership hopes to help new companies pursuing these types of projects with financing, mentoring and incubator space. This would include a private equity fund with “tens of millions” of dollars to support start-ups, according to the article.

“There’s an opportunity for 10 folks in the garage to do something important,” Vertex chief executive Jeff Leiden, who heads the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, told the Globe.

Learn more about the partnership.