Google Health Stores Medical Records
May 20, 2008 | by Geoff Duncan
Amid privacy concerns, Google has launched Google Health, a password-protected online service that lets users store an online version of their medical records.
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.
Post Your Comment...Comments
James on May 20th, 2008 at 11:32 AM:
This actually scares me. Privacy of course is a huge concern, but this scares me even more:
"medical records are not shared with anyone without the user's explicit permission. "
I can just see it now, somewhere in the fine print, in order for you to use the service, you have to inadvertantly agree to sharing your information with Google's "premium" partners or something stupid like that.
Anything on the net can be hacked, I don't care how secure they say it is.
Comment on this article
Please keep your comments relevant to this article. Email addresses are not displayed, they are only required to verify you are human.
When you submit your comment, an email will be sent to your email address with a confirmation link. Once you have clicked on that confirmation link your comment will be posted.
HTML is not allowed.
RSS Feed
Bruce Layne on May 20th, 2008 at 11:00 AM:
This is long overdue. I don't go to the doctor or hospital very often, but it's ridiculous that I'm asked to supply all the same info over and over. They don't care, because it's 30 minutes out of my life filling out their forms. They just make the appointment half an hour before they want to see me so my form is completed when my real appointment starts.
Privacy is a huge concern, and I'm glad this isn't a government program. We certainly don't need the government keeping these records with their lax security and increasing Big Brother attitude.
Three features I'd like to see that weren't mentioned:
1) User has an administrator password to manage the account and another password to be given to health care providers to access the info. The administrator can change the access password immediately after the doctor's office gets the info.
2) There should be a standard data format used across the health care industry, just as there should be a standard insurance form. A lot of time (money) is wasted on incompatible forms.
3) All accesses to the person's health database should be logged and available to that person, including date, time and IP address. Nobody should have secret access to the health data.
Or... we could just put everyone's health care data on the REAL ID chip that'll be embedded in all of us soon, along with our credit score, bank balance, tax records, voting records, religious and political affiliations....