Tola Sargeant
Microsoft launches new healthcare system in Europe
Microsoft has today moved fully into the European healthcare market with the European launch of Microsoft Amalga, its new unified intelligence system for hospitals, at the cohnIT healthcare show in Germany. Amalga is designed to enable hospitals - or groups of hospitals/clinics - to access data sitting in isolated clinical, financial and administrative systems without replacing existing software. Microsoft also announced plans for a European Amalga early adopter programme, which will enable it to work with customers to deploy Amalga in various healthcare settings. Comment: This is a significant move from Microsoft, and further evidence that it sees healthcare as a key vertical for future growth. Amalga is the Azyxxi system that Microsoft acquired from its creators at MedStar Health in 2006. As we understand it, the software, which Microsoft has been readying for worldwide commercial availability since its acquisition, is currently only in commercial use at MedStar Health, the community-based network of eight hospitals and other healthcare services in Baltimore where it originated.If it can be proven in wide-scale deployments - and with Microsoft behind it we have no reason to suppose it won't be - then Amalga is likely to have strong appeal for European healthcare providers, particularly those with a mish-mash of existing clinical and departmental systems that remain popular with clinicians. The unified intelligence approach will also suit networks of clinics or connected hospitals because it allows for differentiation. The software being launched in Europe today is part of a family of Amalga health enterprise systems. However, the other members of the family - the Microsoft Amalga Hospital Information System (HIS) and the Microsoft Amalga Radiology Information System/Picture Archiving and Communication System (RIS/PACS) - are targeted at developing and emerging markets. At present, Microsoft has no plans to bring these to Europe. Nevertheless, incumbent European healthcare application providers would be wise to keep a close watch on Microsoft's activity in the sector.
