Microsoft sniffs out health care

Microsoft sniffs out health careFrom the New York Times (Microsoft to Offer Health Care Software)

Microsoft plans to offer software tailored for the health care industry, a change from its usual strategy of encouraging others to create industry-specific products using its operating system and programming tools.

The company'Â’s first step, announced today is to purchase clinical health care software developed by doctors and researchers at a nonprofit hospital in Washington. Microsoft is also hiring two of the three doctors who created the software system and 40 members of the development team at Washington Hospital Center...

"“This represents a change in our strategy,"” said Peter Neupert, Microsoft'’s vice president for health strategy. "“This is the start for Microsoft. We're just getting started."

It's not hard to see why Microsoft is making this shift. In many industry segments, Microsoft's market share is huge: 50 percent or more. In health care, it's really low. With health care at 15 percent of the economy and growing fast it makes all the sense in the world for Microsoft to focus there.