Orion and Microsoft Announce Joint eHealth Initiative

Orion Health has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft Corp. to co-market their health information exchange (HIE) and data aggregation and analysis products to the public and private HIE and integrated delivery network (IDN) markets. The two companies also announced Orion has acquired Microsoft’s Hospital Information System (HIS) software assets, including RIS/PACS, previously known as Amalga HIS as part of its expansion into Asia Pacific. As part of the agreement, Orion Health will sell and market the HIS and RIS/PACS software as Orion Health HPM (Health Process Management) suite. The new software will complement the company’s existing range of clinical workflow and data integration applications. The Microsoft HIS and RIS/PACS products were marketed in Southeast Asia under the brand name Amalga HIS and Amalga RIS/PACS until July 2010 when Microsoft discontinued development and sales of the products. The collaboration between Microsoft and Orion Health will enable public and private HIEs and IDNs to deploy Orion Health’s broad health information exchange and workflow solutions alongside the powerful data aggregation, analytics and reporting capabilities of Microsoft Amalga UIS. The combination of the solutions will enable HIEs and IDNs to more easily view and report on a broad set of individual and population patient data, helping to improve quality of care and care coordination across the community while also reducing costs.