Microsoft Launches BizTalk Accelerator for HL7; Solution Provides Comprehensive HL7 Messaging, Flexible Infrastructure Support

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2004 Conference & Exhibition, Microsoft Corp. launched the BizTalk(R) Accelerator for HL7, a software solution that supports comprehensive HL7 messaging and leverages the foundational technology of Microsoft(R) BizTalk Server 2004. BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 provides a complete, reliable and economically viable messaging solution that enables sharing of patient information within and between healthcare systems and organizations.

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According to Wes Rishel, vice president and research area director at Gartner, "HL7 is one of several American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standards-developing organizations operating in the healthcare arena, and its global standard is in use in more than 95 percent of U.S. hospitals."

By implementing the BizTalk Accelerator for HL7, healthcare organizations can take advantage of the open HL7 standard to enable disparate line-of-business applications to exchange key sets of clinical and administrative data in real time. Early adopter customers Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Washington state and Scripps Health in California are already benefiting from implementing the accelerator.

"We expect to increase messaging efficiency by a minimum of 25 percent across the organization with the full implementation of Microsoft's BizTalk Accelerator for HL7," said Clark Kegley, director of information services operations at Scripps Health. "This intuitive solution encourages greater use and productivity within our organization, and it integrates well with our existing architecture."

Microsoft BizTalk Server accelerators greatly reduce the time and effort associated with developing and implementing integrated technology systems. The launch of the BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 builds on the proven integration functionality of industry-focused BizTalk Accelerators, such as the BizTalk Accelerator for HIPAA, and extends Microsoft's commitment to the healthcare industry. Microsoft's new HL7 accelerator uses the latest Microsoft technology to provide healthcare workers with an advanced solution for messaging through use of HL7's connectivity interfaces. With its easy-to-use tools, this accelerator provides real-time visibility into business processes such as message routing, validation, transformation and enrichment, facilitating accurate and timely delivery of information. Healthcare organizations can expect a rapid return on investment through accelerated deployment times and easy-to-use tools for fast customization and business process automation, and the flexibility to handle the evolving demands of the healthcare industry.

"The healthcare and life sciences industries face significant challenges in adopting standards like HL7," said Kate Taneyhill, product manager at Microsoft. "Working closely with our customers and partners, Microsoft has developed a software offering that directly addresses these industries' concerns. The BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 is aimed at helping organizations and individuals save time, reduce operational costs and increase productivity so that healthcare providers can spend less time managing their infrastructure and more time delivering high-quality patient care."

The accelerator leverages the proven foundational technology of BizTalk Server 2004. Part of the Windows Server System(TM), BizTalk Server 2004 helps customers efficiently and effectively integrate systems, employees and trading partners through manageable business processes, enabling them to automate and orchestrate interactions in a highly flexible, highly automated manner. The combination of BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 and BizTalk Server 2004 provides a solution that lowers the cost of implementing integration solutions by reducing the complexity of enterprise application integration. Healthcare organizations can use the business activity monitoring capabilities to track all HL7 traffic, giving a complete and timely view of transaction status to minimize risk and improve operational efficiencies. The BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 solution also includes tools that allow developers, business analysts and administrators to apply rules and policies to data in real time, through flexible public interfaces.

"Microsoft is focused on providing proven technology solutions to the healthcare industry that help individuals and organizations realize their full potential," said David Lubinski, managing director of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Group at Microsoft. "Working with our partners, we are addressing the industry's most significant challenges by developing integrated solutions that drive operational efficiency, increase collaboration and communication, and offer increased value. At the end of the day, we help the healthcare industry focus on what it does best -- healthcare."

About Microsoft in Healthcare and Life Sciences

Microsoft provides standards-based products and technology to help the healthcare and life sciences industries break down information barriers between the disparate IT environments across provider organizations and physicians, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, government and private-sector employers, health insurers, and consumers. With Microsoft technology in place, healthcare organizations and individual workers collaborate more effectively, are more productive, and are able to spend less time managing their IT infrastructure and more time delivering high-quality patient care.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

NOTE: Microsoft, BizTalk and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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