Monday Google launched Google Health, its entry into the online personal health record sweeps. Google joins several other entrants, most notably Microsoft, in an effort to create complete, updateable, accessible yet secure online health records. Check some of the early entrants out: http://www.healthvault.com/ (Microsoft health vault); https://www.google.com/health; http://www.webmd.com/phr; http://www.revolutionhealth.com/my-revolution/promo; http://www.medicalrecords247.com/.
Some early features of these systems include apps to allow you to import medical records from various sources, allowing access and updating by authorized health care providers, interfacing with certain health care devices, providing a gateway to services like prescription refills and maximizing your health benefits through interface with health plan providers, building community around health care.
What may be most important in all of this is how standards develop for hospitals and other health care providers to update information and talk to each other about patients. In the end these consumer directed sites are windows (with varying functionality to be sure) on what will be an enormous back end system of information storage and exchange. Whether Google and Microsoft themselves (or Oracle or others) are the ones who create the standard remains to be seen.
What features would you look for in a personal health record system? How do they need to work truly to make a difference in creating a more effective and efficient health care system?
