IBM and Siemens Healthineers today launched a five-year, global strategic alliance to take population health management around the world.

The goal is to help hospitals, health systems, integrated delivery networks and other providers deliver value-based care to patients with complex, chronic and costly conditions such as heart disease and cancer, executives said,

IBM and Siemens will work together to develop and deploy new population health offerings by tapping each company's expertise and assets, such as those added to the Watson Health portfolio from acquisitions such as Phytel and Explorys.

Siemens Healthineers and IBM Watson Health will work together to help healthcare professionals better grasp the unprecedented changes occurring in healthcare, make sense of the a growing volume and diversity of health data, figure out how best to engage an aging global population and how best to cope with the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, changes in healthcare payment models, and the digitization of healthcare.

Siemens Healthineers will offer population health management solutions and services from IBM Watson Health, which will help meet hospital and healthcare systems' demands for value-based care analytics and reporting and patient engagement, according to officials. Siemens Healthineers will also provide consulting services to support providers in their transition to value-based care.

The companies have a long-standing relationship that includes IBM's work with Siemens Building Technologies, Siemens PLM and Siemens Digital Grid. It also marks Siemens entry into population health management. Siemens Healthcare changed its name to Siemens Healthineers in May this year to better emphasize the unit’s engineering and scientific prowess.

Siemens Healthineers have access to IBM Watson Care Manager, a new cognitive solution designed to help providers and patients to work together to support individual health. The platform integrates disparate types of clinical and individual data and applies cognitive analysis to draw out insights for nurses and other care managers to closely monitor and counsel individuals with chronic conditions.

"Combining our strengths, Siemens Healthineers and IBM can effectively help providers transition to a value-based healthcare environment," Matthias Platsch, head of Services at Siemens Healthineers, said in a statement.

"We are at an unprecedented time in healthcare, “ added Deborah DiSanzo, general manager for IBM Watson Health, said in a statement. “Mature and developing markets are increasingly focused on how patient outcomes are optimized, quality is standardized among individuals and across populations, and costs are reduced.”

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Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com