Google Health
Google Health is a personal health information centralization service by Google. The service allows Google users to volunteer their health records -- either manually or by logging into their accounts at partnered health services providers -- into the Google Health system, thereby merging potentially separate health records into one centralized Google Health profile.
Volunteered information can include "health conditions, medications, allergies, and lab results".[1] Once entered, Google Health uses the information to provide the user with a merged health record, information on conditions, and possible interactions between drugs, conditions, and allergies.[2]
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Privacy concerns
Google Health is an opt-in service, meaning it can only access medical information volunteered by individuals. It does not retrieve any part of a person's medical records without his or her explicit consent and action.[1] However, it does encourage users to set up profiles for other individuals. [2]
According to its Terms of Service, Google Health is not considered a "covered entity" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996; thus, HIPAA privacy laws do not apply to it.[3].
In an article covering Google Health's launch, the New York Times discussed privacy issues and said that "patients apparently did not shun the Google health records because of qualms that their personal health information might not be secure if held by a large technology company."[4] Others contend that Google Health may be more private than the current "paper" health record system because of reduced human interaction.[5]
Post-launch reactions to Google's stance that it is not a covered entity have varied. Some have been very negative, like the comments of ha.ckers.org blogger Robert "RSnake" Hansen[6] and those of Nathan McFeters at ZDNet[7]. Others, including Free/Open Source Software Healthcare activist Fred Trotter, argue that a personal health record service like Google Health would be impossible if it were HIPAA covered.[8]
Price and income
Google Health, like many other Google products, is free to use for consumers. Unlike other Google services, however, Health currently contains no advertising.[9] Google has not revealed how it plans to make money with the service, but a Wall Street Journal article says that Google "hasn't ruled [advertising] out for the future."[10]
History
Google Health has been under development since mid-2006. In 2008, the service underwent a two-month pilot test with 1,600 patients of The Cleveland Clinic.[4]
As of May 20, 2008, Google Health has been released to the general public as a service in beta test stage.
Architecture
Google Health's API is based on a subset of the Continuity of Care Record.[11]
Partners
Google Health can currently import health information from the following partners: The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, The Cleveland Clinic, Longs Drugs, Medco Health Solutions, Quest Diagnostics, RxAmerica, Walgreens, SafeMed, and Healthgrades.[12]
Competitors
Google Health is a personal health record (PHR) service whose primary competitors in the United States are Microsoft's HealthVault and the open-source Indivo project. There are numerous other open-source and proprietary PHR systems, including those that compete outside the United States.
