Microsoft Announces Windows DNA for Healthcare During Annual Microsoft Healthcare Users Group Conference

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 15, 1999 — Microsoft Corp Chairman and CEO Bill Gates today announced a new technology initiative that will help empower health-care providers, hospitals, managed care organizations and industry professionals. Gates announced Microsoft® Windows® Distributed interNet Architecture for Healthcare (Windows DNA for Healthcare), an industry architectural “blueprint” that enables corporate developers and independent software vendors to build and rapidly deploy high-performance applications that support integration, analysis and delivery of information between disparate health-care information systems.

Microsoft’s goal for Windows DNA for Healthcare is to streamline business processes, reduce health-care costs and improve the quality of patient care.. Gates made the announcement during his keynote address at the Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MS-HUG) Windows OnHealthcare V Conference, where he addressed the need for healthcare organizations to implement information technology that creates a seamless flow of digital information. .

During his keynote speech, Gates demonstrated how healthcare organizations and independent software vendors can use Windows DNA for Healthcare and Microsoft platform technologies to build and deploy health-care solutions that meet virtually any organization’s needs.

“Today’s healthcare enterprises demand powerful solutions that support mission-critical services 24 hours a day and are accessible from a wide variety of devices,” Gates said. “Windows DNA for Healthcare will enable developers to design and build distributed healthcare business applications that meet an organization’s critical needs while embracing next-generation health-care technologies like smart cards, Windows CE-based handheld devices, high-end workstations, e-commerce and Web-based applications.”

The Windows DNA for Healthcare blueprint helps developers build solutions that best take advantage of a healthcare organization’s existing information systems while offering the power and flexibility to leverage new technology. The Windows DNA for Healthcare architecture provides an easy way for data to be exchanged seamlessly between providers, hospitals, managed care companies and any other back-end technology systems used by healthcare organizations.

This blueprint incorporates BizTalk TM Framework specifications and includes the ActiveX® for Healthcare messaging components that enable interoperability between disparate applications, networks and legacy systems. In addition, Windows DNA for Healthcare is designed to serve as the foundation for e-commerce transactions such as electronic referrals, authorizations and consumer access tools, and utilizes recommendations from industry-standards bodies, including Health Level 7 (HL7).

“MS-HUG’s ActiveX for Healthcare Committee (AHC) successfully published a unified specification with the Andover Working Group that focused on messaging components,” said Ed Kopetsky, chairman of the MS-HUG board of directors, and senior vice president and CIO of Centura Health. “The activities of the AHC will evolve to be addressed by a larger council that will focus on Windows DNA for Healthcare.”

Several leading health-care Microsoft Solution Developers and customers announced support for the Windows DNA for Healthcare blueprint including MedAssure, MicroScript, a Neon Company, Millbrook Corp., Odyssey Software Inc., Partners HealthCare System Inc. , Sequoia Software Corp., Shared Medical Systems Corp. (SMS) and Superior Consultant Holdings Corp.

“With the announcement of Windows DNA for Healthcare, we have the foundation to assist developers of healthcare applications with a solid road map to create scalable and reliable applications from Smart Cards for Windows to data center clusters,” said David Lubinski, Healthcare Practice manager with Microsoft Consulting Services. “Windows DNA for Healthcare leverages experience from over 60 projects with leading health-care developers around the world.”

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, Windows, BizTalk and ActiveX 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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