After announcing the service last year and testing in conjunction with the Cleveland Clinic, Google has finally launched Google Health, a system that enables users to store an online version of their medical records so doctors, healthcare providers, and other authorized parties can access a consistent, centralized set of health data about an individual, and users can control and monitor who has access to their medical information. Google is tagging the service as being in beta form, and plans to both expand and refine its offerings over time.
Google Health is a password-protected service, and Google emphasizes that it stores all information privately and securely, and the medical records are not shared with anyone without the user’s explicit permission. The service also includes links to U.S. pharmacy chains (like Walgreens, Longs Drugs, CVS, and AllScripts), medical testing labs, and doctors’ associations.
Perhaps the most interesting—and immediately useful—feature of Google Health is a virtual pillbox, that can notify users when they need to take particular medications, and can warn users of potential drug interactions. The service also attempts to enable patients to schedule appointments, refill prescriptions with pharmacy partners, and receive test results online.
As might be expected, online storage of health records raises a wealth of privacy and security concerns, and Google says it is storing medical information in a wholly separate infrastructure than the company’s other operations, and as implemented additional layers of security to ensure information is securely stored. Users will have control over who can access their medical information via Google Health—although, of course, there’s no controlling how securely doctors, labs, pharmacies, and hospitals treat that information once they have it. There are also legal concerns: although U.S. privacy laws require medical providers to secure medical records, there is currently very little precedent or standards controlling how third-party services handle medical information.
Google is not along in getting into online health records: Microsoft has launched its own initiative, dubbed HealthVault, which will offer similar services.
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