Salesforce to make big push into healthcare industry

Salesforce Inc is betting big on healthcare, hiring key personnel and ramping up investment in hopes of replacing outmoded medical industry infrastructure and carving out a $1 billion annual business. Its push into healthcare follows years of attempts by rival software providers, including Microsoft Corp, to break into healthcare with everything from personal health records to hospital information systems. They have had mixed results. Now Salesforce aims to bring in $1 billion in yearly revenues in coming years - about a fifth of its current annual sales - from health contracts, two people briefed on its plans told Reuters.