Microsoft Sets Out to Solve Healthcare Woes

Published: April 19, 2006

by Alex Woodie

Microsoft this week unveiled its Knowledge Driven Health Plans, a "shared vision and solutions framework" for fixing the "inefficiencies of a fragmented [health]care-delivery ecosystem" that also holds the promise of making consumers healthier while saving them money, the software giant says. Microsoft's solution to the problems involve its Windows Server System and participation among 22 industry partners.

Dr. Dennis Schmuland, industry director for health plans at Microsoft, says it's time to fix the problems in the health care industry. "The need for health plans to innovate is more critical today than ever before in the face of rising healthcare costs and a system that is shifting consumers toward the center of the decision-making process," he says. "Microsoft and its industry partners are delivering technologies and solutions that enable health plans to substantially improve the health and experience of the consumer while holding costs down."

Knowledge Driven Health Plans includes a combination of software from Microsoft and its industry partners. Microsoft says products like the .NET Framework, Windows Server, SQL Server, BizTalk Server, and Office can make a difference.

Among Microsoft's business partners, there were few companies with specific solutions geared toward the healthcare industry; most of them offered generic business transformation and integration services or solutions. Partners with healthcare related products included Allscripts, Health Dialog, Healthways, Milliman, and QCSI.