Google to kick-start medical records program with Cleveland Clinic

Update at 12:19 PM PT: This story was updated to reflect the World Privacy Forum's position on PHRs in general.

Google is set to announce on Thursday that it will be using the Cleveland Clinic hospital in Cleveland, Ohio as the pilot site for its new personal health records initiative.

The Cole Eye Institute (foreground) and the taller Crile Building, which is the flagship facility of the Cleveland Clinic.

(Credit: Cleveland Clinic)

Between 1,500 and 10,000 patients at the Cleveland, Ohio, facility will participate in the project's test run, volunteering to have their medical records transferred to their Google accounts. The hospital already keeps electronic records for over 100,000 patients in an internal system called MyChart, but when those personal health records, or PHRs, are shared with Google, patients will be able to use them outside of the Cleveland Clinic. Included in the data will be prescription information, medical histories, and details about conditions and allergies.

"Patients are more proactively managing their own healthcare information," Dr. C. Martin Harris, the Cleveland Clinic's chief information officer, said in a statement. "At Cleveland Clinic, we strive to participate in and help to advance the national dialogue around a more efficient and effective national healthcare system."

"We believe patients should be able to easily access and manage their own health information," Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search projects and user experience, said in the same statement. "We chose Cleveland Clinic as one of the first partners to pilot our new health offering because as a provider, they already empower their patients by giving them online tools that help them manage their medical records online and coordinate care with their doctors." Additionally, Cleveland Clinic president and CEO Delos M. Cosgrove is a member of Google's Health Advisory Council.

Google isn't the only tech titan looking to change the healthcare industry. AOL founder Steve Case has launched a new company, Revolution Health; InterActiveCorp has invested in several health-related start-ups; and Microsoft has been working on a medical record service.

But all these "health 2.0" initiatives will inevitably raise privacy concerns, and critics of such projects have already begun to make themselves heard. The World Privacy Forum, which has highlighted concerns about medical identity theft in the past, has already issued a report voicing concerns about third-party PHR systems that aren't covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), which has been in effect since 1996 and requires individuals to be notified when a party other than a patient's doctor wants to access confidential medical data.

Not only is security an issue, the nonprofit has said, so is the likelilhood that marketers and other corporate entities will be able to exploit otherwise confidential data. The World Privacy Forum has not taken a specific stance on Google's new project or on others like Microsoft's.

Google is of particular concern to some privacy advocates because the company already has so much data about its users.

"While PHRs may have some laudable goals," the report by privacy consultant Robert Gellman read, "they are also a tempting target for companies or others that want to evade whatever privacy protections remain in the health care system in order to make a profit."

[pugster]

Ignorance of fear over convience

Companies, doctors, insurance companies already have your so called 'cofidential' data and already using it against you. The Marketing companies have better access to your health data than you.

[jamie.p.walsh]

There needs to be a little more transparency in Health Info

HIPAA has been in effect for more than 11 years now, and only recently have most providers been pushed to all electronic records. People need to get comfortable with the fact that their information is out there. I do believe there should be some sort of repository for this info that the patient themselves can have access to. This would definitely encourage people to become more involved in their health as well as more informed of it. Imagine if patients were able to graph their own rehab progress. It might encourage patients to follow it more closely durastically improving rehab time.

Patients could be linked with others with similar illnesses and share information with one another. Patients could opt in to submit their blinded information to clinical research.

What are people afraid of? Some marketer will find out they have ED and start emailing them ads for Viagra? Guess what, it's happening anyway.

[BenjaminWright]

Privacy Terms of Use

Maybe contract law could help patients enhance the privacy of their health records. http://hack-igations.blogspot.com/2008/02/contracts-for-patient-privacy.html http://hack-igations.blogspot.com/2008/02/contracts-for-patient-privacy.html

[e-referral]

Electronic referral is taking off in Victoria

The number of electronic referrals (e-referrals) sent and received between Victorian health and human services agencies nearly doubled in 2006-07. Additionally, the number of health and human services agencies able to send and receive e-referrals nearly doubled.

What is e-referral?

E-referral allows, with consent, a standard set of consumer health and care information known as the Service Coordination Tool Templates to be shared securely between services.

According to a report by KPMG, the use of e-referral can result in a 30-minute time saving when compared with traditional referral methods. In addition, e-referral enables quicker multiple referrals - an increasingly common requirement for consumers with multiple and complex needs.

Developing e-referral

The Primary Health Branch has worked with DHS program areas and the 31 Primary Care Partnerships (PCPs) to establish agreed standard service coordination practices including e-referral standards, feedback requirements, and requirements to support the consented and secure sharing of client information.

The branch is now working with Victorian and national stakeholders to:

? secure further investment dollars for the e-referral change management and capacity building work of the PCPs; and

? further develop the standards and infrastructure that support e-referral in Victoria.

Services advocate for e-referral

Ann-Marie Deeker, Eastern Health's Emergency Care Coordinator, is a great advocate for e-referral.

'E-referral, and the agreed common practices that underlie it, has supported us to link in more strongly with other services,' she says.

'When we e-refer we know that we will get good quality and quick referral feedback and as a result we feel confident to refer more broadly than before. We love it!'

Further information

More detailed information on e-referral in Victoria is available from http://www.health.vic.gov.au/pcps/publications/ereferral_summary.htm

[alexsoreal]

CBS radio signs an exclusive radio deal with Alex Papas to promote and advertise the Medefile Card. Alex Papas the creator and the developer of the prepaid phone card in the United States, has just created a new medical breakthrough called The MedeFile Card. MedeFile?s centralized, confidential electronic portfolio gives you 24/7 access to your medical history. No more wasting time and filling out paperwork when you go to see the doctor or go to the hospital. Imagine that you or your parent or child has suddenly become ill. They are in a place where no one knows them, their blood type, what medications they are on, or what allergies they have. Quick decisions could mean the difference between life and death. Each year the lack of accurate medical information ? or the wrong information ? takes a terrible toll. With MedeFile you can be better prepared with vital information should such an emergency arise. Your Medical records are going Green. CBS radio will promote the Medefile Card on the air, and hand out free $20 Medefile Cards at all events. CBS will also put banner ads on there websites. For more information on The MedeFile Card go to www.medefilecard.com.

[alextelcom]

Health care, everyone?s talking about it. But is anyone doing anything about it? The first step to heath care is your medical history and your medical records. Where are your medical records? What?s your medical history? Well now the first step to your heath care is now being taking care of with the MedeFile Card. My name is Alex Papas the creator and the developer of the prepaid phone card in the United States. I have just created a new medical breakthrough called The MedeFile Card. The MedeFile Card is a centralized, confidential electronic portfolio that gives you 24/7 access to your medical history So no more wasting time and filling out paperwork every time you go to see the doctor or go to the hospital. Imagine that you or your parent or child has suddenly become ill. They are in a place where no one knows them, their blood type, what medications they are on, or what allergies they have. Quick decisions could mean the difference between life and death. Each year the lack of accurate medical information or the wrong information takes a terrible toll. With MedeFile you can be better prepared with vital information should such an emergency arise. Your Medical records are going Green. I?m donating $100 million dollars in Medefile Cards to companies all over the world to give to there employees and there families. So No more talking about what we are doing about heath care we are doing something about it now! For more info go to www.medefilecard.com or call Alex Papas at 954 729 8888

[alextelcom]

Free Digital Medical USB drives are being donated to companies for there employees, there families and customers. Alex Papas, has been credited for creating and developing the prepaid phone card in the United States. Since starting the prepaid phone card industry he has helped major companies get their name and products into the market place. Companies include Verizon, Sprint, PT-1 and Playboy to name a few. He has now again created and developed another great product for everyone called the Medefile Card.MedeFile's centralized, confidential electronic portfolio gives everyone 24/7 access to there medical history. Hospitals, Doctors, EMT?s and all other Emergency personnel are now relying on Digital Medical Records. Emergency personnel now know in an instant who you are, your blood type, your allergies and your emergency contacts. Knowing that, could say your life. Also you now don?t have to waste time filling out paperwork when you go to the doctor or the hospital. The USB drive fits on your key chain. So now, just hand your MedeDrive to the receptionist it?s that simple. Papas is donating $100 million in MedeDrive?s to companies & charities now. Papas has already donated Medefile Cards to the Lupus Foundation, CBS Radio, Marriot Hotels, Lowes Hotels, and The Child Life Foundation, to name a few. To see how it works go to www.medefilecard.com Contact Alex Papas for more details 954 729 8888 or email [e-mail]

[fcervinka]

Having been a former patienrt at the Cleveland Clinic, I appreciated the information.

[vanraj1]

Corporate Wellness is an extremely important program for any company looking to treasure its workforce. The losses due to absences and low productivity owning to health issues affect the progress and a lot of estimates and strategies go wrong. My company has recently availed of Corporate Wellness Services of Elitehealth.com and the first couple of sessions of check-ups and interaction have been quite refreshing.

http://www.elitehealth.com/executive_physical_exams.php