Clinical Trials & Research News

Johnson & Johnson Taps Microsoft to Expand Digital Surgery Ecosystem

Microsoft will help Johnson & Johnson advance its digital surgery ecosystem to advance skills, improve workflow, and boost decision-making to increase the overall patient experience.

Digital Surgery Ecosystem

Source: Getty Images

By Samantha McGrail

- Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies (JJMDC) recently tapped Microsoft to expand its secure and compliant digital surgery ecosystem.

Microsoft Cloud will help JJDMC drive innovation that advances skills, improves workflow, and boosts surgical decisions to create a better patient experience and improve patient and economic outcomes.

“Collaborating with Microsoft will help take our digital approach to the next level as we create a best-in-class, unified platform across our innovative surgical technologies,” Larry Jones, group CIO and global vice president of medical devices at Johnson & Johnson, said in the announcement.

“It brings together our collective expertise and is an exciting step towards creating a connected patient journey across the entire care continuum, before, during, and after a procedure,” Jones continued.

JJMDC’s medical technology exists across an ecosystem that includes next-generationnext generation robotics, instrumentation, advanced imaging and visualization, data and analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital solutions, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson explained.

Therefore, robust connectivity with and between the ecosystem is crucial to help surgeons with their workflow and, patients with their healthcare journey as well as , and to ensure a clinical difference.

As part of the collaboration, Microsoft will serve as JJMDC’s preferred cloud provider for its digital surgery solutions and help build out the company’s digital surgery platform and internet of things (IoT) device connectivity.

Specifically, the companies will leverage Microsoft Azure, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data insights, edge computing, and IoT to improve the pace of JJMDC’s digital innovation across its digital surgery platform.

The collaboration will also help set the digital stage for Johnson & Johnson’s Ottava general surgery robot, which was delayed late last year. 

“We’re excited to collaborate with Microsoft on this important work as we continue to expand our digital surgery assets and capabilities, develop innovative and advanced instrumentation, and make a meaningful clinical difference for customers and patients,” said Peter Schulam, MD, PhD, global head of medical affairs, clinical affairs, and pre-clinical research at Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, and Leader, Office of Digital Innovation.