EMR vendor launches ad-supported model

An emerging San Francisco-based vendor has struck a deal with search giant Google to distribute Google text ads within its EMR, a step which may mark the first time that an EMR vendor has financed its offering this way. The Google ads will be generated based on keywords drawn from patient clinical data. Because it's agreed to let the ads into its Web-based EMR, vendor Practice Fusion will be able to offer the EMR to physicians for free. It had previously sold its software-as-a-service product on a subscription basis. The new EMR should be fully rolled out within four months.

While some bloggers have expressed concerns that privacy protections won't hold up, Practice Fusion has assured users and the industry that it has HIPAA protections in place and that Google will never have access to individualized patient information.

To learn more about the launch:
- read this piece from Government Health IT

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