Microsoft Corp. announced it will buy Bangkok-based Global Care Solutions Ltd., or GCS, which specializes in creating software modules for clinical and administrative operations in hospitals, allowing them to run more smoothly. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

"We were impressed by Global Care Solutions' state-of-the-art health information system, which has enabled a hugely complex facility like Bumrungrad International hospital to achieve amazing outcomes related to improved workflow and patient safety," said Peter Neupert, corporate vice president for the Health Solutions Group at Microsoft.

Global Care Solutions launched its software solutions in 2000 and its software, which is based on Microsoft software products that already exist, has already been implemented in seven hospitals in the Asia-Pacific region. GCS' closest partner is Bumrungrad International Hospital, where its software solution allegedly helped the healthcare unit bring the average waiting time to see a doctor down to 17 minutes. Doctors at the Bumrungrad hospital see over 1.2 million patients each year, of which 400,000 are foreign patients from 190 countries, meaning varying language, insurance and billing data.

"This is the perfect time in our company's history to accelerate worldwide availability and allow our product to bring new light to health organizations across the globe, where the deployment of information technology can translate directly to better healthcare and, ultimately, healthier people," said Pat Downing, CEO of Global Care Solutions.

Microsoft’s Neupert suggested the software GCS develops will be marketed to hospitals in developing countries. It allegedly needs much smaller investments in computer hardware compared with similar software solutions currently marketed in the United States. Employees of Global Care Solutions will join Microsoft's health solutions group.