Google, the company that you thought was just an internet search engine, brings you Google Health, that will allow your medical records to be accessed at the click of a mouse. Google Heath, which has now launched in beta test format, is a service that archives medical records and helps patients find medical services.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are extending the bran. Its trial site has now gone live in the United States - and acts as a personal homepage that allows users to upload, store and check their personal information.

It also can allow users to investigate health matters, set reminders as to when to take medicine, and track how many miles a person has walked per day to monitor fitness.

The latest application from the internet giant, which it first discussed a year ago, is intended as a one-stop shop for users who want all their medical information in one place.

Perhaps one of the most useful functions allows users to gather medical records from different doctors, hospitals and chemists and keep them together.
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It also allows users to inform their doctors about the state of their health - without having to take time out from their daily routines to visit in person.

However the new site is likely to provoke controversy, not least over the issue of internet security, and the actual safety of keeping medical records on the internet.

In addition, medical lobby groups are likely to point out that it could lead to a reduction in user’s willingness to visit doctors and dentists, leading to a potential deterioration in health

“Personal health records is an area that’s just beginning,” says Roni Zeiger, Google Health product manager. “The fact that only few people are using those tools means we [the computing and healthcare industries] haven’t got it right yet.”

Google said it will never sell a patients information, and promises that it will only share it with a patients permission, a permission that can be revoked at any time.

Mr Zeiger added: “No Google Health user will ever find their Google Health information as search results anywhere on Google. That information is yours.”

It remains unclear as to how Google intends to profit from the service in the long-term, other than by displaying adverts alongside search results, but it is possible that it will eventually charge doctors’ practices and hospitals if they want to use the facility, while keeping it free for patients.

The internet search giant has plans to expand Google Health beyond the US, when it feels from a regulatory standpoint it is able to do so in each specific case.

Posted by Zoov on 20 May 2008 06:15 pm
Filed Under: Business, Health |