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Senior Citizen and Internet
Google Makes No-Cost Online Medical Records Service
Available to Public
Allows users to store medical records and laboratory
test results
May 20, 2008 -
Google on Monday opened public access to
Google Health,
an online personal health record service, after about 18 months of
development, the
New York Times
reports (Lohr, New York Times, 5/20). The move comes after Google in
February
announced a pilot program to test the
system that involved about 10,000 patients at the
Cleveland Clinic (Colliver,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5/20).
Google Health allows users to store online their
medical records and laboratory test results, as well as information
about allergies, vaccinations and prescriptions. Users will have the
ability to enter some information, as well as have data pulled from
clinical records.
In addition, users can decide whether to share
information in their PHRs with health care providers. Google Health also
allows users to search for medical information and use other online
health care tools.
Google Health currently does not include
advertisements but might in the future (Vascellaro, Wall Street Journal,
5/20). As part of Google Health, Google has partnered with hospitals,
clinics, pharmacies and lab test companies, with plans for additional
partnerships in the future (Bloomberg/Los
Angeles Times, 5/20).
According to the
Boston Globe,
the health care industry considers electronic health records "crucial to
reducing the cost of providing health care and eliminating medical
errors," but implementation of such technology "has been painfully
slow," in part because of a lack of "established standards that would
allow data to be shared across different medical record systems"
(Krasner, Boston Globe, 5/20).
Privacy Concerns
According to the Wall Street Journal, "It remains
to be seen how willing consumers will be to store sensitive personal
medical information online" (Wall Street Journal, 5/20).
Patient advocates and privacy experts have
"expressed concern that, despite password protection, sensitive health
records stored online could be compromised," the Globe reports (Boston
Globe, 5/20).
Pam Dixon, executive director of the
World Privacy Forum,
said that the federal medical privacy rule issued after the enactment of
the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act does not cover
medical records placed on a third-party online service (Metz,
AP/Chicago Tribune,
5/19).
Roni Zeiger, product manager at Google, said that
the company will share information in PHRs only at the request of users
(San Francisco Chronicle, 5/20). Marissa Mayer, vice president of search
and user products at Google, said that Google Health will have the
"highest level of security" (AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/19).
About Google Health (From
Google Health)
Google Health allows you to store and manage all of
your health information in one central place. And it's completely free.
All you need to get started is a Google username and password.
Google believes that you own your medical records
and should have easy access to them. The way we see it, it's your
information; why shouldn't you control it?
Keep your doctors up-to-date
Stop filling out the same paperwork every time you
see a new doctor
Avoid getting the same lab tests done over and over
again because your doctor cannot get copies of your latest results
Don't lose your medical records because of a move,
change in jobs or health insurance
With Google Health, you manage your health
information — not your health insurance plan or your employer. You can
access your information anywhere, at any time.
It's safe and secure
We believe that your health information belongs to
you, and you should decide how much you share and whom you share it
with. We will never sell your data. We store your information securely
and privately. Check out our
privacy policy
to learn more.
You are in control — you choose what you want to
share and what you want to keep private.
Features
With Google Health, you can:
Build online health profiles
You can enter your health conditions, medications, allergies, and
lab results into your Google Health profile and you can name the profile
anything you want. You can even create multiple profiles for family
members or others you care for.
Import medical records from hospitals and
pharmacies
Choose from a list of
Google Health
partners to see if your hospital or pharmacy can send copies
of your medical records or prescriptions to your Google Health profile.
This way, you can save an accurate history of your medical conditions,
medications, and test results all in one place.
Learn about health issues and find helpful
resources
Review trusted information on diseases and conditions and learn
about possible medication interactions and other topics to talk your
doctors about.
Search for doctors and hospitals
You can search for a doctor's name or location, find a doctor's
website, get directions to a doctor's office, and save a doctor's
information to your medical contacts list.
Connect to online health services
Browse the online health services directory to find services that
are integrated with Google Health that can help you better manage your
health needs.
Google
Google Health
New York Times
Google Announcement in February
Cleveland Clinic
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