News
Microsoft To Buy Health Search Firm
- By Stuart J. Johnston
- February 27, 2007
Microsoft Monday announced its intent to buy out Medstory Inc., a privately held company that develops intelligent Web search technologies for health information.
The move is part of Microsoft's strategy to expand into health care products and services.
“We were impressed with the ability of Medstory's unique technology to organize and surface the most relevant online health content,” Peter Neupert, corporate vice president for health strategy and leader of Microsoft's Health Solutions Group, said in a statement.
Medstory employees will join the Health Solutions Group, which will manage product development and delivery.
Foster City, Calif.-based Medstory shipped the beta of its health information search engine last July. On its Web site, the company states that its mission goes beyond just health information to all sorts of complex fields.
Medstory's founder and CEO, Dr. Alain Rappaport, also co-founded Neuron Data, a provider of artificial intelligence and business process software in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
About the Author
Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.