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Microsoft is acquiring a Washington, D.C., health care software company that has developed a solution to tracks patients records in real time.
In a July 26 statement, Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft announced it would buy Azyxxi for an undisclosed sum and forge a partnership with MedStar Health.
The acquisition will give Microsoft a bigger presence in the health care solutions field.
The announcement also comes just a few weeks after stories appeared about the company preparing to develop new products for the health care field.
Founded by three doctors in 1996, Azyxxi began as way to track records in the emergency department of the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. This hospital is owned by MedStar Heath.
The founders developed software that allowed the hospital to store patients records in one central location. It also gave hospital staff, nurses and doctors instant access to scores of medical records.
Peter Neupert, vice president of Microsofts health solutions group, will work with about 40 Azyxxi employees and two of the three founders to help manage product development and delivery.
“Healthcare delivery is one of the top global challenges for governments, employers, caregivers and consumers,” Neupert said in a statement.
“Microsoft believes that information technology can positively impact the situation by removing barriers and empowering physicians with instant access to critical patient data.”
In its new partnership with MedStar Health, Microsoft said it wants to continue to develop other health care innovations for the medical community.
Washington Hospital Center will continue to serve as the laboratory for these new technologies, the company said.