Orion Health inks deal with Microsoft

Orion announces Asia Pacific acquisition and international collaboration with Microsoft

Orion Health's wholly-owned subsidiary Orion Health Asia Pacific has signed a deal to purchase Microsoft’s Hospital Information System (HIS) software assets, including RIS/PACS, previously known as Amalga HIS, Orion says in a media statement this morning.

Orion and Microsoft are also planning to co-market their health information exchange (HIE) and data aggregation and analysis products — Orion Health HIE and Microsoft Amalga Unified Intelligence System (UIS)— to the public and private markets. The two have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, outlining this deal.

Orion Health will sell and market the HIS and RIS/PACS software as Orion Health HPM (Health Process Management) suite, according to the statement.

“The addition of the Microsoft’s HIS assets is a natural extension of Orion Health’s portfolio of products that enable us to offer a complete solution to a wide range of hospitals and health organisations in Asia Pacific”, says Orion Health CEO Ian McCrae.

“The health sector in a number of Asia Pacific countries is overdue to make the transformative leap to the next generation of systems which integrate the complete healthcare ecosystem rather than siloing information in individual organisations or facilities”.

A HIS development operation at a Thai private hospital, Bumrungrad — which has a long history with the Amalga HIS product — will be Orion Health’s fourth development centre. The others are in Auckland, Christchurch and Canberra, says McCrae. "It will also provide the company with a base from which to expand its Southeast Asian organisation," he says.

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. Microsoft continues to develop and market Amalga UIS (Unified Intelligence System), a data aggregation and analysis platform, worldwide.

Nate McLemore, general manager of the Health Solutions Group, Microsoft, says the software giant is fully committed to improving the delivery and economics of patient care globally in evolving healthcare markets.

"Through our joint efforts with eHealth leaders like Orion Health, we are addressing the unique needs and challenges of regional healthcare delivery with the right combination of complementary software solutions."