Microsoft hopes to vamp up its HealthVault and other health services by making it easier for users to do everything from track their caloric intake to count their steps using their cell phones, according to researchers at a Microsoft forum on health care technology in Beijing.
One thing that stuck out to me from the article is that Desney Tan, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research, talked about its gaming system being cheaper than similar hospital equipment. If this gaming system did incorporate health applications, it would completely revolutionize the world of hospital patient care. This is because he claims that the system would feed and display electronic health records in addition to the tasks it already performs. This would be an economical solution for hospitals, because the xbox would be able to consolidate both entertainment and administrative duties into one system.
It would be interesting to see Microsoft take further steps into the realm of health care, but at the same time it might be risky for the business by offering too many services. I think Microsoft is considering pursuing this project to help promote their online service HealthVault. If Microsoft could get such a device into hospitals. They would be able to capitalize on being the leading health record information system. This definitely is a interesting concept but I do not think Microsoft would enter this industry any time soon.
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