Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson plans to open a health technology center in Rhode Island, with employees focused on information technology and software apps.

Johnson & Johnson has announced it will open a new health technology center in Providence, Rhode Island. The announcement is evidence of the bellwether's investment in value-based care, since the center's employees will develop software applications and information technology solutions focused on health outcomes.

The new center will have 75 high-tech openings, according to a press release from the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and those jobs are expected to be filled in the first half of 2017. The release noted that Johnson & Johnson is looking for potential hires from academic institutions in the area.

"Rhode Island has a strong network of educators, employers, and decision makers that are advancing the integration of different health-related technologies," Steve Wrenn, global vice president and chief applications officer for Johnson & Johnson, said in the release.

Johnson & Johnson's announcement highlights the ongoing trend toward digital health and value-based care that has blurred the lines between traditional medical technology firms and high-tech companies like Google, Apple, IBM, and others. That trend has led to major partnerships and investments in health data analytics by companies within each industry.

Johnson & Johnson's new health technology center will be located in Providence's Innovation & Design District, at One Ship Street, the press release noted.

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse lauded the healthcare company's announcement. "The decision by Johnson & Johnson, a Fortune 50 company, to select Rhode Island for a new cluster of high-tech health care jobs is testament to our world-class universities and hospitals, and the great quality of life we enjoy here," he said in the release.

[Image courtesy of JOHNSON & JOHNSON]