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Google Health PHR adds sharing option to service

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Google has added new features to its Google Health PHR, making it simpler for users to share their medical and personal information with other parties. The feature, called "Share This Profile," allows patients to invite anyone they wish to view their health information, including doctors, family and friends.

To share their data, users log into Google Health, click on the "Share this Profile" link and type in the email address of the person with whom they want to share information. The person on the receiving end gets an email including a link to the sender's profile. The receiver can see the profile, but not edit it.

Google has imposed some privacy controls on the data exchange, including a function letting users monitor who has visited the profile. Also, the link contained in the sharing invitation expires after 30 days.

If users want to share their data on paper, Google Health now offers an option for that as well. Upon request, the application prints out a wallet-sized card including the user's medications and allergies. The PDF, meanwhile, prints a letter-sized copy of the user's profile listing the patient's meds, allergies, treatments and conditions.

Neither Google, nor the journalists covering this issue have explained how they'll handle the issue of emails that end up in the wrong hands, either by deceit or by accident. That, to me, is the big question that needs to be answered here.

To learn more about Google's new offering:
- read this PC Magazine piece

Related Articles:
Google Health beta launches
HIMSS08: Google unveils details of PHR
Google begins storing medical records
Microsoft kicks off PHR initiative

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The system seems to be non-compliant with HIPAA regulations, as these prohibit the use of routine, non encripted, email for communicating health related information. It could work, however, if participants were to communicate using HIPAA compliant on line services such as www.housedoc.us, that is currently used for communication between doctors and patients.

We could achieve a basic EHR/PHR system in the US in a year simply by having Doctors and hospitals hand out EHR Smart Cards of the type used in Europe and elsewhere.

The AMA, which unfortunately is a joke, should lead the way. Unemployed college grads could be at the Providers and input patient data. They'd be paid by the stimulus money to do so. In every case, the patien can say No Thanks to even a Smart Card.

Use a simple common program like Word at the outset so that the patient could take his/her Card with them and all Providers could at least have the person's basic history.

Think Americams will agree to put their most sensitive, private medical data in a cloud operated by google or MS? Think again.

EHR will never happen in the US unless access is controlled by the patient via a smart card--ultra secure and proven.

Google, MS eliminated references ti smart cards that were in early drafts of the stimulus bill. They have convinced Obama, Emanuel et al that that ONLY web EHR with cloud storage is acceptable--and the bill as passed into law mandates that approach.

They also effectively have killed the 300 or so EHR vendors by inserting the provision that requires all "Qualified"/Certified EHR systems to be "interoperable". Can't be done.

We're faing another 10-15 years of having no workable EHR in the US if the only choice Americans are given is web-based. Identity theft is already of financial information is already a huge issue and if medical data is added to what hackers can obtain so easily, it will doom EHR here.

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