Google Health

"There's a pretty sizable group of consumers who are going online and using Web 2.0 tools to not quite manage their own health but at least to communicate with others," according to Matthew Holt, co-founder of the Health 2.0 event and author of The Health Care Blog. "(Companies) are trying to make a connection between the data that exists in various places in the health care system and those consumers (who) want to be proactive in their health."

Microsoft and Google, in addition to WebMD and Revolution Health, have tools for building a personal health record. Dossia is working directly with employers to offer health record options to workers. And ActiveHealth Management has a tool for personal health records available to employers, health plans, and consumers alike. Meanwhile, some providers, such as Kaiser Permanente, also offer their own health records. Following are some of the better options for tracking one's health online.

Google Health is a Web-based tool for personal health records that lets individuals keep their own medical information and grab data from a variety of partners, including laboratory giant Quest Diagnostics and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It also has deals with a number of pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens, and Longs Drugs, as well as drug benefit managers such as Medco.