Palm and Microsoft Team to Bring Healthcare Solutions to Palm Treo 700w
Popular PatientKeeper Enterprise Software Immediately Available on First Windows Mobile-based Treo smartphone
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/Palm Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) are showcasing the new Palm® Treo(TM) 700w smartphone, the first Treo smartphone to run the Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 5.0 operating system, this week at the HIMSS 2006 Annual Conference & Exhibition, the leading healthcare information technology trade show.
The new smartphone allows hospitals that operate in the Windows Mobile computing environment to extend the Palm experience to their users. Palm and Microsoft are featuring demonstrations of PatientKeeper on the Treo 700w smartphone in the Palm booth (No. 7501), the Microsoft booth (No. 4533) and the PatientKeeper Inc. booth (No. 1218).
"For the first time, hospital IT decision-makers who prefer Windows Mobile can offer their physicians, nurses and other clinicians a Palm Treo smartphone. With the Treo smartphone, they can wirelessly access patient information, including radiology reports; obtain real-time access to lab results and clinical notes; and send security-enhanced e-mail messages to other caregivers,"* said Tara Griffin, vice president of enterprise markets for Palm. "The combined forces of Microsoft and Palm provide physicians with an important time-saving tool so doctors can spend more quality time with their patients instead of on paperwork."
Windows Mobile 5.0 software delivers on industry requirements for platform flexibility to customize mobile devices and solutions, and features productivity enhancements including updated Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Excel® Mobile and PowerPoint® Mobile software; persistent memory storage for more efficient data management; a powerful multimedia experience enabled by Windows Media® Player 10 Mobile; and support for hard drives.
These strengths empower industry partners such as Palm to create new solutions and devices that can be tailored to specific industries. In healthcare, this means the availability of efficient, security-enhanced mobile solutions on popular platforms that connect physicians and other clinicians like never before. Healthcare platforms, such as PatientKeeper, enable medical professionals to collaborate with colleagues in real time and enable them to be fully informed and up to date.
"We're pleased to extend the capabilities of Windows Mobile further into the healthcare space with the Palm Treo device," said Steve Shihadeh, general manager of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Microsoft. "Whether they're used for checking patient records, consulting with a colleague or any number of other critical clinical activities, solutions using Windows Mobile not only generate efficiencies and help reduce costs in the healthcare setting, butmost importantalso contribute to higher-quality patient care."
The award-winning PatientKeeper Platform is an integral part of the IT strategies of organizations across the healthcare continuum, ranging from small physician practices and community hospitals to major academic medical centers and some of the largest health systems in the country. With the software from PatientKeeper, physicians can access their patients' electronic records, write prescriptions, enter charges, dictate notes, document encounters, place orders or send security-enhanced messages to other caregiversall in a single integrated environment.* PatientKeeper will play a key role for Microsoft and Palm as Treo 700w smartphones are deployed in healthcare organizations.
This flexibility allows clients to add cutting-edge functionality to their existing IT infrastructure without wholesale replacement. At the bedside, in the office, at home, or even in the car or at a ballgame, physicians turn to PatientKeeper to save time, increase revenue, remain competitive, communicate with other caregivers, and improve patient safety and care.
Mobile healthcare solutions from Palm and its software partners such as Microsoft can help improve efficiencies, reduce costs, improve the quality of care and reduce medical errors. These solutions also allow physicians, nurses and other clinicians to do the following:
o Access vital patient data
o Communicate and collaborate with patients, colleagues and pharmacies
o Reference important drug, disease and diagnostic information
o Manage their practices and schedules
o Ensure accurate capture of charges
o Increase physician, nurse and staff efficiencies
Palm is exhibiting at HIMSS in San Diego through Feb. 16 in Booth No. 7501. The healthcare partners in Palm's booth include Global Care Quest Inc. (GCQ), GE Healthcare, McKesson Corp., Mercury MD Inc., PatientKeeper and Trust Digital. Palm also will be showcasing the three leading U.S. cellular service providers and their healthcare solutions.
Stephen Hau, vice president of marketing and business development for PatientKeeper, will be demonstrating PatientKeeper on the Palm Treo 700w smartphone in the Microsoft presentation theater on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 12:15 p.m. Microsoft is exhibiting at HIMSS06 in Booth 4533. The healthcare partners in Microsoft's booth include Palm and PatientKeeper.
More information on Palm in healthcare can be found at http://www.palm.com/healthcare.
About Palm Inc.
Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm(R) handheld computers, Palm Treo(TM) smartphones, Palm LifeDrive(TM) mobile managers, as well as software, services and accessories.
Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).
More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com/.
About Microsoft in Healthcare and Life Sciences
Microsoft provides compliant, standards-based products and technology to help the healthcare and life sciences industries break down information barriers between the disparate IT environments across pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, physicians and healthcare professionals, provider organizations, government and private-sector employers, health insurers, and consumers. Microsoft's vision for a more empowered healthcare ecosystem leverages the company's market-leading technology to help these groups tightly integrate their systems, dramatically enhance collaboration, and increase information-sharing and learningultimately resulting in the ability to deliver high-quality products and services to patients and healthy consumers worldwide. More information about Microsoft in Healthcare and Life Sciences can be found at www.microsoft.com/healthcare. About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
* Within wireless service coverage area only. Availability and coverage depends upon carrier and the geographic scope of international roaming agreements. E-mail, messaging and Web access require data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows Mobile, Excel, PowerPoint and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Palm, LifeDrive and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm Inc.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Source: Microsoft Corp.
CONTACT: Jim Christensen of Palm, +1-408-617-7455, or jim.christensen@palm.com; or Marc Osborn, SS+K, +1-206-459-5086, mosborn@ssk.com, for Microsoft
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/
