Interview: More healthcare providers to adopt AI: Acer Medical

• By Meryl Kao / Staff reporter

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Acer Medical Inc (宏碁智醫) expects Taiwan’s healthcare providers to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the coming years amid a growing consensus in the sector over the value of the technology, chairman Allen Lien (連加恩) said in an interview with the Taipei Times on Friday last week.

Over the past two years, healthcare providers in Taiwan have shifted from questioning AI’s capabilities to considering how to keep pace with other hospitals and overcome barriers to adoption, Lien said at the company’s office in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止).

However, such applications in Taiwan still lag behind Europe and the US, he said, adding that the company sees opportunities to help fill the gap.

Acer Medical Inc chairman Allen Lien poses for a photograph at the company’s office in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District on Friday last week.

Photo: Meryl Kao, Taipei Times

Acer Medical, a subsidiary of Acer Inc (宏碁), develops AI-powered medical software and platforms for disease screening, medical records and patient care management. The company’s products and services are used by about 600 to 700 healthcare institutions in Taiwan and more than 20 countries and regions abroad, Lien said.

Taiwan is the company’s largest market, while in Southeast Asia, Malaysia accounts for the largest number of healthcare institutions using its products and services, followed by Thailand, he said.

Aside from continuing to develop its AI transcription platform, Acer Medical plans to deepen its ophthalmology portfolio by codeveloping additional retinal imaging applications with partners in the Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, he said.

The company late last year launched its VeriSee platform, integrating multiple ophthalmic screening functions and using a single retinal image to detect diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.

Another product, VeriOsteo OP, launched in 2023, is osteoporosis screening software that can analyze chest X-rays taken for other purposes to identify previously undetected osteoporosis risks, Lien said.

Following broad adoption in local hospitals and demand in some Southeast Asian markets, Acer Medical is developing applications for other body parts, while also pursuing expansion and regulatory approvals in North America, he said.

The company is also working with wearable device providers on large language model (LLM) applications that integrate data such as blood pressure and blood glucose with hospital information systems and messaging apps, Lien said.

Initially focusing on post-stroke care, the system allows AI to flag issues for nurses to review before sending reminders to users, he said.

Acer Medical is discussing more than 20 projects with regional hospitals and medical centers, with some expected to be announced by the end of this year, he said.

As LLMs advance, Acer Medical is also expanding into data processing, system integration and model optimization, while using Acer Group’s (宏碁集團) hardware resources to provide on-premises computing capacity tailored to hospitals’ needs, Lien said.

The group’s subsidiaries include server products provider Altos Computing Inc (安圖斯) contributing to hardware and computing integration, Acer e-Enabling Service Business Inc (宏碁資訊) supporting system integration and Acer Biomedicals LLP (宏碁生醫) providing AI computing technology for cancer vaccine research, he said.

By taking advantage of the company’s healthcare expertise to connect Acer Group resources with hospitals’ needs, “we hope to become an important partner in helping Taiwan’s healthcare system become smarter, and then use the experience we gain here to help hospitals in other countries do the same,” Lien said.

In the first eight months of this year, Acer Medical’s revenue increased 50.1 percent year-on-year to NT$51.39 million (US$1.62 million), company data showed.

With support from government healthcare programs and expanding cooperation with local hospitals and overseas partners, the company’s revenue this year is expected to surpass last year’s NT$60.05 million, Lien said.

Acer Medical is optimistic that it can maintain a similar revenue growth rate next year to that of the past three years on the back of several new projects and more overseas expansions, he said.