IBM to buy health care software firm

From CNET News.com: IBM said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy Initiate Systems, a privately held company that makes software designed to help health care companies manage and share information.

Initiate's software is geared toward customers in both the private sector and government, all of whom deal with a huge amount of health care information across different systems. Initiate's Interoperable Health software tries to help health care companies and government agencies more quickly find and share patient and clinical data, thereby saving them time and money.

The company's customers run the gamut from health care payers to providers to prescription drug sellers and include Alberta Ministry of Health and Wellness, Calgary Health Region, CVS/Caremark, Humana, North Dakota's Department of Health and Human Services, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

"With the addition of Initiate's software and its industry expertise, IBM will offer clients a comprehensive solution for delivering the information they need to improve the well-being of patients at a lower cost," said Arvind Krishna, general manager of Information Management at IBM, in a statement. "Similarly, our government clients will now have even more capabilities for gathering and making use of information to serve citizens in a timely and efficient manner."

No financial details were given. Subject to the usual regulatory approvals, the acquisition should close in the first quarter of this year. IBM said it then plans to merger Initiate with its Information Management operations.

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