The New York Times reports that Microsoft has agreed to acquire MedStory, Inc., a Foster City based start-up. MedStory has built it’s own search engine focused on the medical space. They use AI methods to scan medical journals, government documents, and data available on the Internet.
This marks the next step in Microsoft’s strategy to expand their presence in the health care market. Last year Microsoft acquired Azyxxi, a software system for quick display and retrieval of patient information from multiple sources including scanned documents, X-rays, M.R.I. scans and ultrasound images.
I would expect that you would see much more of this from Microsoft. It’s a great area for them to focus on, as it allows them to build their overall search market share through vertical search building blocks.