MS vs. open source: the battle gets hotter

While open source camps and Microsoft have always competed for mindshare in the health IT world, the battle hit a new level of intensity last week when Microsoft and open source promoters floated their new proposals for the future of the industry. Last week, for example, Linux distributor Red Hat announced that it would partner with McKesson to mount McKesson on Linux and JBoss software. The deal should give Red Hat--and Linux--an impressive foothold in the health IT industry overnight, as McKesson is already inside of about 60 percent of all U.S. hospital networks. And the deal may be more than just another partnership. As part of the flurry around the new announcement, the CTO of McKesson's health IT group, McKesson Provider Technologies, has said that "proprietary standards are over."

Microsoft, meanwhile, launched a new line of healthcare-focused software last week, with CEO Steve Ballmer proclaiming at HIMSS that healthcare was a new focus for the company. As part of its new releases, Microsoft introduced its new IT architecture for interoperability, the Connected Health Framework. Not only is Microsoft aiming its guns at health IT departments, it's also going after corresponding markets in consumer health IT, recently purchasing health Web search tool vendor Medstory.

To get more insight on the emerging competition:
- read this Information Week piece
- get more details on the Connected Health Framework

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