Microsoft, GE Tackle Healthcare Analytics, Data Aggregation

For the second time in a year, General Electric's GE Healthcare subsidiary is establishing a joint venture with a major technology partner, this time, software giant Microsoft. In forming the venture, Microsoft is effectively exiting the enterprise health IT business, as the Redmond, Wash.-based behemoth will transfer its Amalga healthcare data aggregation and analytics platform to the new entity.

The yet-unnamed venture also will take ownership of single sign-on products Microsoft Vergence and Microsoft expreSSO, as well as health information exchange platform GE Healthcare eHealth, and GE clinical knowledge application Qualibria. The latter is a project with longtime GE development partners Intermountain Healthcare and the Mayo Clinic...