Health-Care Industry Embraces Microsoft Windows NT Server As Platform of Choice

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 17, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that 227 companies have developed health-care solutions based on the Windows NT® Server network operating system, more than any other software platform. Currently, 353 Windows NT-based health-care software applications are available, providing the best integrated and open solutions for the health-care industry’s information systems needs.

Microsoft® Windows NT Server continues to surpass expectations in industry support and customer demand, making it a standard operating system in the health-care industry. According to a Microsoft survey of health-care solution developers, the following demonstrate the wide range of applications running on Windows NT (some products have solutions across various segments):

  • 261 acute care (hospital) and departmental solutions

  • 225 ambulatory care (outpatient) solutions

  • 129 payor (health insurance) solutions

  • 119 accounting/HR solutions

  • 213 miscellaneous solutions (dental, imaging, behavioral health, skilled nursing facilities, medical images such as CT scans and digital diagnostic X-rays, etc.)

  • 20 FDA-certified applications

“Windows NT embraces both existing systems and future migrations, protecting a health-care organization’s current investments, while opening the door to powerful new solutions,” said John Carpenter, worldwide health-care industry manager at Microsoft.

“Standardizing on Windows NT absolutely lowers the cost of ownership for a health-care system,” Carpenter said. “Using an infrastructure of Windows NT and Microsoft SQL Server
™
enables an organization to choose new applications without having to throw out its entire system. Other proprietary platforms, such as the many variants of UNIX, cannot offer this flexibility.”

Vendors also rely on the stability and consistent performance of Windows NT for the critical data hospitals require. “Our ICU and OR automation software gives health-care providers immediate and accurate critical-care information under the most stressful conditions you’ll find in any health-care enterprise,” said Todd Cozzens, president and CEO of Picis Inc. “Our applications have run native on Windows NT for nearly three years now, and Windows NT is the only platform we trust to accomplish this life-critical task.”

Microsoft SQL Server Growth

Health-care organizations are also adopting the Microsoft SQL Server relational database at an exceptional growth rate. Installations of Microsoft SQL Server grew over 100 percent in fiscal year 1996, a trend that continues in fiscal year 1997.

Customers prefer Microsoft SQL Server because its combination of enterprise functionality and ease of use delivers lower cost of ownership and quicker time to deployment, Carpenter said.

“SMS chose Microsoft Windows NT Server and the Microsoft SQL Server database as the preferred platform for the NOVIUS family of solutions because it offers scalability, reliability and superb performance,” said Dave Perri, senior vice president, technology solutions, Shared Medical Systems. “By deploying solutions on this preferred platform, we’re able to provide our customers with the ability to integrate and manage clinical, financial and administrative information from throughout the health network. We expect that Windows NT- and Microsoft SQL Server-based products will continue to grow as a standard in the development of enterprise solutions for the health-care industry.”

This week at the 1997 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference 3/4 health care’s largest IT conference and exhibition 3/4 Microsoft Solution Providers are demonstrating some of the 171 applications that support Microsoft SQL Server, including the following (some products have solutions across segments):

  • 105 acute care (hospital) and departmental solutions

  • 96 ambulatory care (outpatient) solutions

  • 56 payor (health insurance) solutions

  • 51 accounting/HR solutions

Microsoft’s health-care industry marketing organization has developed a Healthcare Solutions Buyers Guide, available on the Microsoft health-care Web site http://www.microsoft.com/industry/health/ The buyers guide contains information such as company contacts, Microsoft technology used, and information about 82 health-care subsegments that each product can serve. The Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG), a not-for-profit organization based in Ann Arbor, Mich., plans to offer a hard copy of the buyers guide within several months. MS-HUG can be reached at its Web site, (http://www.mshug.org/) , or by calling (313) 973-1995.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.


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