Google, Microsoft PHRs sign health plan partners

The PHR war between Google, Microsoft and rivals seems to have reached a new stage, with Google and Microsoft scoring major insurance partners this week.

Google Health has just recruited its first insurance company to participate in its PHR program. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest insurer, will let its members create PHRs using Google's technology. When the project is fully ramped up this fall, BCBSMA members will be able to important their claims data into their Google Health profiles. The PHR will allow patients not only to store medical records and insurance data, but also to download them from other connected providers.

While BCBS of MA is the first insurer to come on board, Google Health has many other existing partners, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Walgreens, CVS/Caremark, Minute Clinic, Medco, Longs Drugs and RxAmerica. Microsoft, meanwhile, has signed a deal under which Kaiser Permanente will bring MS's HealthVault platform together with KP's personal health records for use by Kaiser employees and their doctors. More than 2.2 million of Kaiser's members use its existing PHR, called My Health Manager. Kaiser will now use HealthVault technology to expand My Health Manager's capabilities. The new combined platform will begin pilot testing this summer.

To learn more about these deals:
- read this Boston Business Journal article [1]

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Google Health beta launches [1]
Reaction to Google Health service positive [2]
HIMSS08: Google unveils details of PHR [2]
Google begins storing medical records [3]