SAN DIEGO, Calif., Sept. 15, 1999 — Imagine a clinic where doctors carry tablet PCs containing a wealth of diagnostic information, prescriptions and insurance claims are transmitted electronically, and patients carry a “smart card” that provides secure access to their complete medical records — all these efficient and time-saving innovations are possible today, but the healthcare industry faces a number of technical and regulatory challenges that make designing such systems difficult.
To help the industry meet these challenges and build applications that improve the quality and efficiency of patient care, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates today announced Windows DNA for Healthcare, an industry blueprint that helps corporate developers and independent software vendors build and rapidly deploy high-performance applications that support integration, analysis and delivery of information between disparate healthcare information systems.
In a keynote address to more than 1,500 healthcare industry professionals at the Windows on Healthcare V conference, Gates outlined the complex information technology issues facing the healthcare industry and explained how Windows DNA for Healthcare can help the industry make critical information available anytime, anywhere, on a variety of devices.
“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,” he 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 technologies like smart cards, Windows CE-based handheld devices, high-end workstations and Web-based applications.”
Windows DNA for Healthcare is a collection of resources designed to serve as a “roadmap” for building healthcare industry applications; it incorporates a number of Microsoft platforms and technologies, including Active X for Healthcare, a technology that enables ‘plug and play’ interoperability between healthcare applications. It also supports BizTalk, an industry-wide initiative to develop open standards for integrating applications via XML. Technical strategy guidelines, case studies and working groups offer high-level guidance, while white papers, sample code and software development kits (SDKs) provide “nuts and bolts” examples of working solutions.
