Recently I’ve spent a disproportionate amount of time in the hospital and other medical facilities, first for pneumonia and then for the birth of my son. This has convinced me of the completely broken state of medical information systems and the need to bring systems for storing and exchanging patient medical data into the 21st century.

Those of you unfortunate enough to see me on a daily basis have had to put up with my scheming and brainstorming–trying to think up a better way to handle medical information electronically. Google apparently beat me to the punch. Help is on the way.  According to this post today on the Google Blog, the Cleveland Clinic is beginning a pilot program using Google’s APIs to securely transmit medial records at a patient’s request. Google is promising to give patients more control over their medical records:

By using the GData protocol already offered in many Google products, and supporting standards-based medical information formats like the Continuity of Care Record (CCR), our health efforts will help you access, store and communicate your health information. Above all, health data will remain yours — private and confidential. Only you have control over when to share it with family members and health providers.

Anyone who has been through the ridiculous ordeal of filling out authorization forms, which must be delivered in person and then faxed to transfer medical records from one provider to another (often for a fee), can appreciate what Google is trying to pull off. Apparently they have a “health team” with at least one engineer working on it. Is there any problem they aren’t solving?

Tags: Google
Categories: Public
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