JawsBlog

The big tech story of the day is the launch of Microsoft’s new online health info portal.

It’s definitely an interesting concept, with some obvious potential pitfalls (e.g. privacy/security, MS software reliability).

From my vantage point as someone who works for a in a health care environment, Microsoft’s idea does have some upsides and some less obvious downsides.
Starting with a negative–the difficulty many a physician seems to have with computers and related technology.  As such, they may not realize how to best utilize this technology.

With that aside, HealthVault (or a similar program) could in theory make things easier for both patients and physicians.  Rather than showing up to an appointment and having the doctor’s staff call others offices for notes/information, as a patient could literally have it at his/her fingertips.

Similarly, a patient would be able to store his/her records in one central location, which helps when one is seeking the services with multiple physicians (e.g. specialists)..  It also could provide a PCP with a central information repository.  This could also help the patient with their personal organization.
Yet, it’s still too early to judge HealtVault.  Technical questions remain, aside from security issues, such as compatibility with EMR/EHR (Electronic Medical/Health Records) platforms and software.

It’s also worth noting that MS isn’t exactly the first in this game, as some insurance providers have begun to offer PHR’s through themselves as well (Aetna and GHI are two that instantly come to mind).