GE Healthcare, Microsoft Form Joint HIT Venture

GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wis.), through its healthcare IT business, and Microsoft Corp. (Redmond, Wash.), have announced plans to create an unnamed joint company that will develop and market an open, interoperable technology platform and clinical applications. The applications will focus on enabling better population health management to improve outcomes and the overall economics of health and wellness.

The new company will use Microsoft's building platforms and ecosystems with GE Healthcare’s clinical and administrative workflow solutions. It will deliver an open platform that will give healthcare providers and independent software vendors the ability to develop clinical applications. It will also develop healthcare applications on the platform using in-house developers and the platform will connect with a wide range of healthcare IT products.

Both companies say they will maintain a presence in the healthcare IT industry, as both parent organizations will continue to sell other products and services to healthcare organizations around the globe. The new venture, they say, will complement the existing offerings from both parent companies.

Michael J. Simpson, vice president and general manager at GE Healthcare IT, will serve as the company's CEO. The new company will be headquartered near the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash., with significant presence in Salt Lake City, Utah and additional cities around the world.

Launch of the new joint venture is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected in the first half of 2012.