Advocate Aurora Health, Foxconn form technology partnership

Advocate Aurora Health and Foxconn said Thursday they are partnering to develop new services for health care.

Advocate Aurora Health, the 10th largest nonprofit health system in the country, and Foxconn, a global technology company expanding into southern Wisconsin, plan on working together in areas such as managing the health of employees and analytics.

Foxconn officials hope the data venture will help the company commercialize a program that officials say has already lowered health care costs and improved care for some of its 1.2 million employees in Taiwan and China.

The organizations say they will leverage Foxconn's emerging technologies coupled with Advocate Aurora Health's capabilities to transform care delivery. They cite three key focus areas: enhancing preventive care and employer-based wellness programs; building a "smart city" connectivity infrastructure; and investing in precision medicine and transformational training programs for a clinical team of the future.

"Our employees' health is our top priority," said Leonard Wu, CEO of Foxconn Health Technology Business Group. "We are thrilled to partner with Advocate Aurora Health not only to bring together two organizations committed to health technology innovations but to provide first-class health-care and medical services to our Foxconn U.S. employees."

"Technology will play a critical role in the future of health and wellness," said Dr. Nick Turkal, Advocate Aurora Health president and CEO.

For Advocate Aurora, the partnership holds the promise of attracting thousands of new Foxconn employees into its clinics and hospitals, according to Modern Healthcare. Foxconn employees won't need to be Advocate Aurora patients to participate, but officials said doing so would allow them to "enjoy the full benefit" of the continuity of care and would drive the most savings to Foxconn.

"Foxconn supports our relentless pursuit of safety and quality, and we look forward to exploring breakthrough connections to extend these offerings to consumers across environments," said Jim Skogsbergh, president and CEO of Advocate Aurora Health.

Foxconn has announced a goal of developing 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin over the next five to 10 years at its $10 billion plant in Mount Pleasant, about 20 miles north of the Illinois border.