IBM has opened a research center dedicated to developing tools that will allow healthcare professionals to more efficiently use data in medical decision making.

The company's Health Analytics Solution Center, based in Dallas, will employ more than 100 experts in healthcare analytics, technical architectures, and other, related specialties.

The center's mission is to create analytics systems that can leverage healthcare data streaming in from electronic medical equipment in the field, such as patient monitoring systems, physicians' handheld devices, and other smart medical instruments.

"With all the dynamic changes occurring in health care and the availability of new data from more sources, deep analytics unlocks new possibilities for improving the way health care is delivered by reducing risk, saving lives and even helping to reduce costs," said Rob Merkel, healthcare leader for IBM Global Services, in a statement.

Experts believe the healthcare industry, including pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and device manufacturers, can use analytics to predict trends, reduce risk, and improve patient care and safety.

"Tapping into mountains of data within hospitals and clinics can provide powerful new insights into what's working and what isn't," said Dwight Carter, CIO at the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council.

"New analytics technology makes it possible to see important health trends and allow physicians and hospitals to design more effective treatments. As hospitals become more interconnected in the future, this will be an especially powerful tool for hospitals, physicians, and patients alike," said Carter.

IBM has developed its healthcare technology in cooperation with a number of leading institutions, including Duke University Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the University of North Carolina.

InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on e-health and the federal stimulus package. Download the report here (registration required).