Microsoft has acquired Medstory, a privately held medical search company based in Foster City, California.. Medstory employees will join the Health Solutions Group, a recently formed division at Microsoft that will manage product development and delivery. Financial terms were not disclosed, as part of the agreement between the organisations.
According to an October 2006 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 8 million people in the United States go online for health information every day, and 53 per cent of health-seekers said a recent search had an impact on how they take care of themselves or someone else. Yet 22 per cent of respondents said they felt frustrated by a lack of information or an inability to find what they were looking for.
Unlike results from most search engines, Medstory’s results are based on search technology, which provides prequalified information to consumers and health professionals conducting health-related research. This approach provides users with guides to help refine and better target their searches. Users receive organised content that is more relevant to their search criteria and that enables better health-related decisions, the company is quoted to have said.
“Instead of trying to force people to think in terms of the way a computer searches, we’re enabling computers to more intuitively conduct searches in the way that people think,†said Dr. Alain RappaportCEO and founder of Medstory. When the acquisition closes, Rappaport will assume the role of general manager of health search in the Health Solutions Group. “With Microsoft’s global reach and experience, I look forward to this soon becoming a standard for online searches in health and medicine.â€
Source: SDA Asia Magazine
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