Bangkok--Nov 10--IBM Thailand
IBM’s healthcare practice today announced a major initiative to improve interoperability and information access through the development of open software standards.
Under this initiative, IBM is committing to grant royalty-free access to its patent portfolio for the development and implementation of selected open healthcare software standards built around web services, electronic forms and open document formats.
Industry growth and service delivery in healthcare are currently hampered by the proliferation of incompatible document formats and proprietary technology, making it difficult to find, retrieve and share data such as standardised medical records.
IBM believes its new initiative can help address the complex ecosystem across which information must be accurately, securely and efficiently exchanged and assist our clients in this vital industry as they work to improve the quality and lower the costs of services they deliver to patients, physicians and institutions around the world. Standards can foster interoperability and dramatically improve the ability to communicate data and information among and between companies and throughout communities.
"Healthcare remains one of the greatest challenges for our society and our economy worldwide. Many industries are transforming, using open software standards to create a powerful platform for innovation and industry growth," said Neil de Crescenzo, vice president, Global Healthcare, IBM Business Consulting Services. “Our initiative can help do the same for the worldwide healthcare industry.”
Innovation based on open software standards can help transform healthcare worldwide.
For example, benefits from open access to the targeted IBM software have the potential to spur the development worldwide of electronic health-record networks, fostering the widespread adoption of health information technology. Such technology can allow the protection, privacy and security of health information through open, interoperable technologies.
IBM’s work with the healthcare and education industries follows IBM’s commitment of 500 software patents to the open source community earlier this year. Since then, other companies and organisations have made similar commitments helping to create an open source ‘patent commons.’
For more information please contact:
On-uma V. Rerkpattanapipat
Communications Specialist
IBM Thailand Co.,Ltd.
Tel: 66-2-273-4117 T/L: 61-980-4117 Cell: 66-1-815-5720
Fax: 66-2-273-0182
E-mail: [email protected] End.