(RTTNews) - Monday, Microsoft Corp.
(MSFT), announced a variety of measures in the health sector, which included unveiling of the Patient Safety Screening Tool to help healthcare organizations identify potential adverse events that occur during hospitalization, a collaboration with SAP for healthcare IT and a $3 million fund for the development of online tools for health solutions.
Microsoft said that the Patient Safety Screening Tool, or PSST, features a set of indicators that provide information on potential in-hospital complications and adverse events following surgeries and medical procedures.
The company added that the solution's first focus is on tracking sepsis, but would have the ability to track many other diseases.
Microsoft said that the tool could help save lives by monitoring clinical data inputs and dispatching alerts and reminders based on predefined thresholds and pattern matching to facilitate early detection and intervention.
Microsoft noted that with highly adaptable code that can be modified to any customer environment, the PSST is designed to provide rapid implementation with minimal configuration.
Noting that treatment decisions have to be made in a limited amount of time, John Barwise, assistant professor of anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University, said, 'Even with the years of specialized training physicians receive, it is challenging to see patterns in clinical data amid chaos. Microsoft's Patient Safety Screening Tool is an essential tool in the fight against sepsis.'
Tool for Sepsis is being supported and delivered by Microsoft partner Accent on Integration, with clinical direction from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Also, Microsoft announced that it has signed a joint marketing agreement with SAP America Inc. to work together to deliver solutions that would help healthcare organizations increase operational efficiency and reduce costs using software to automate and streamline cumbersome processes.
'Maintaining accurate, complete, up-to-date information on inventory levels and materials needs is critical to hospital operations,' said Charles Agins, vice president of finance, Montefiore Medical Center.
Microsoft said the collaboration would leverage existing technologies including Duet and focus their activities in the United States.
Microsoft also launched the HealthVault Be Well Fund to stimulate the research and development of online tools that improve health.
The company said that the $3 million, targeted funding, with a maximum of $500,000 awarded for any individual proposal, is aimed at stimulating solution development across a broad range of health disciplines that have the potential to improve health outcomes for both patients and health-conscious consumers.
Peter Neupert, corporate vice president, Health Solutions Group, Microsoft, said that the industry could benefit from a renewed push for innovative development that would bring to life yet-to-be-imagined Web applications that help people live longer, healthier lives. 'The inability to access information where and when it's needed is a huge source of frustration and can result in incomplete care and wellness decisions', Neupert added.
Microsoft said that it is soliciting proposals from areas that include, but not limited to, Primary Prevention Applications, Secondary Prevention Applications, Acute Care Applications, Juvenile Disease Management Applications, Women's Health Management Applications and Community and Social Health Applications.
Proposals would be evaluated on their potential to significantly advance the state of health in one or more areas of focus and demonstrate the potential for expansion into a large-scale program, Microsoft added.
The company stated that the proposals must make use of the Microsoft HealthVault platform and leverage HealthVault Search to reinforce the project's value through contextual information and education. Microsoft also added that use of non-Microsoft applications on Windows, cross-platform development, and interoperability with other operating systems and applications are all encouraged.
Microsoft closed Friday's regular trading session at $27.68, down $0.42.
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