Google Health Opens To the Public

Several readers noted that the limited pilot test of Google Health has ended, and Google is now offering the service to the public at large. Google Health allows patients to enter health information, such as conditions and prescriptions, find related medical information, and share information with their health care providers (at the patient's request). Information may be entered manually or imported from partnered health care providers. The service is offered free of charge, and Google won't be including advertising. The WSJ and the NYTimes provide details about Google's numerous health partners.

Comments

Privacy

[whoever57]

I for one won't be using it while their terms of service explicitly states that HIPAA doesn't apply to Google.

Re:Privacy

[TubeSteak]

How do I opt-out?

Maybe the laws need to be re-written.
I can't imagine that Federal & State Law foresaw 3rd party control of medical files.

Re:Privacy

[kabocox]

I for one won't be using it while their terms of service explicitly states that HIPAA doesn't apply to Google.

I don't trust Google. I'm of the opinion that companies have to obey the rules/laws of government. I'd rather "trust" the government if they said that HIPAA doesn't apply to Google rather than Google saying that HIPAA doesn't apply to them. There is a part of me that actually hopes that Google gets slapped by the government for violating HIPAA.

Re:Privacy

[scamper_22]

I'm Canadian, and I signed in to Google Health just to check it out.
I find the privacy concerns a bit off beat.

I do online banking.
I file my taxes online...

When is there such sensitivity about my health data. As far I see, it is password protected, and as long as the data is not shared with people outside my 'approved list', I have no issue with it. Google might eventually adopt HIPAA, but I seriously doubt Google will be freely sharing your private information with health insurance providers without your consent. Maybe I trust google too much.

Quite frankly, I hope google is able to do this securely. I'd love to go to my doctor, and have everything he writes about me be sent to google health. I'd love for test results to be automatically sent to my google profile. The system is in bad need of this kind of electronic health freedom. Right now the medical system is a veil of secrecy.

As long as it remains opt-in and give you control of what is stored, I think it can only be a good system. I could definitely see people wanting to hide certain diseases like HIV... from their online system. They might be afraid a friend or family member might get into their account.

Re:Privacy

[Anonymous Coward]

If Google expects "covered entities" to use their software, then they are going to have to make that software HIPAA compliant.

Wow

[Oxy the moron]

I'm quite torn here. On the one hand, having so much information readily available in one spot is rather exciting. This is especially true if Google doesn't just cave in to "Big Pharma" and allows you to see "alternative" or "herbal" remedies for prescriptions or OTC drugs you have entered.

OTHO, Google having all that information about my medical condition in one place is somewhat disturbing... Aside from rational or irrational fears about Google having this information, aren't there HIPPA issues to be concerned about here, too?

Re:Wow

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

And I don't want them caving into "big infomercial" sleazeballs that tell use phrases like "Big Pharma" to try and persuade potential customers to buy their scientifically unproven snake oil instead.

Re:Wow

[Anonymous Coward]

especially true if Google doesn't just cave in to "Big Pharma" and allows you to see "alternative" or "herbal" remedies for prescriptions or OTC drugs you have entered.

Someone was bound to say something stupid like that I suppose.

There is no such thing as "alternative" medicine. There is just tested science based medicine and complete bullshit "alternative" and "herbal" remedies sold to suckers that ought to know better if they know how to use a search engine.

Alternative my arse.

Now, buried in the myriad witch doctor potions both harmless and harmful, is there a particular plant that the Mayans found cured syphilis? Probably. But until it is tested and found to work, you should not be effin around with it.

Is Big Pharma a bleedin nightmare that does all sorts of nasty corporate shit? Yes, but they also produce scientifically tested drugs that only go wrong if the testing wasn't quite right. Getting the testing right is extremely difficult and sometimes we still get bad drugs, but how giving up tested drugs in favor of random made up BS is a better idea is beyond me.

Things need to change in US health care and drug production, but replacing it with stupid hippie feel good crap isn't what is needed.

If Google wanted to list "alternative" remedies then they don't need a database, they just need to randomly select a web page and print it. Perhaps they could send people to ncreview.com where they can buy a book explaining how to ask their dead pets about it?

Re:Wow

[Uncle Focker]

This is especially true if Google doesn't just cave in to "Big Pharma" and allows you to see "alternative" or "herbal" remedies for prescriptions or OTC drugs you have entered. Ugh, I hope Google Health doesn't become such a nexus of snake oil salesmen. Hopefully they will have minimum requirements for the scientific accuracy of medical claims to weed out this nonsense. If you want to be peddled placebos, just stick to Kevin Trudeau and his ilk's infomercials. We don't need Google Health to be infected with such a taint.

Re:Wow

[FishWithAHammer]

If you're a higher risk, you have to provide a higher reward to the company in order to be accepted. Your higher risk is only offset to a degree by their lower risk, and if they know up-front that you're a higher risk there's no reason not to take that into account ahead of time.

Oh?

[Joseph1337]

Sure put you confidential health data to a company that will give them away for on a simple whim of any goverment, probarly without you knowing about it. Great

google information horde

[pha7boy]

so, google will have your surfing profile, your financial information, tons of images of you, your house, your friends, your networks, and how will add to it your health information. You know, Big Brother can be a government, but it can also be a corporation. Even one that claims not to do any evil.

Re:google information horde

[alen]

the government uses ChoicePoint for it's information needs to bypass laws that prohibit it from gathering data on citizens. Google health can end up selling health data to anyone who asks for any reason

"How does Google make money off Google Health?"

[kiscica]

6. If it's free, how does Google make money off Google Health?
Much like other Google products we offer, Google Health is free to anyone who uses it. There are no ads in Google Health. Our primary focus is providing a good user experience and meeting our users' needs.

I've heard enough. I don't know what their long-term plan for monetizing Google Health is, and I don't really care now. I don't trust Google enough to consider even for a second entrusting my health care information to them (and I say this as someone who has thought very highly of the company since the beginning). And their weasly answer to the obvious question above, I think, justifies my mistrust.

Every for-profit company's primary focus is - making a profit. There's nothing whatsoever wrong with this, and the ideal situation arises when "providing a good user experience and meeting [...] users' needs" is aligned with the profit motive.

So why they can't be honest about their motivations in undertaking an expensive, large-scale project like this -- whatever those motivations are -- instead of trying to make us believe that they're doing it "out of the goodness of their hearts?" All their mealy-mouthedness accomplishes is to raise the suspicion that they've got something nasty up their sleeves. And that ensures that many users, including me, will never entrust their most private of private data to Google.

Re:"How does Google make money off Google Health?"

[SCHecklerX]

And you trust your health insurance companies? Their sole purpose is to make profit. We'd be much much better off without them, paying doctors and hospitals directly.

Note to users: Change your GMail password

[chord.wav]

Remember that social site that fooled you to get your gmail account and password so you can "invite" all your friends? Remember that someone told you not to do so because is wasn't safe to make your password public but you didn't listen?

Well, now you just got a shinny new Penile Prosthesis Insertion - Non-inflatable AND a Penile Prosthesis Insertion- Inflatable.

Have a nice day.

Why not?

[RealityThreek]

Why isn't Google a health care clearinghouse?

Health care clearinghouses include billing services, repricing companies, community health management information systems, and value-added networks and switches if these entities perform clearinghouse functions.

I'm certainly no expert but I do speak english. Is Google not a "community health management information system"?