One more entry into the the PHR system, but the one big issue here for me at least, is that I would be very reluctant to place all my records with a company in the business of risk management, thus I prefer Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault, as they service the enterprise and have no other areas of interest other than providing better health care.
Just lately in the news, AARP and United Healthcare were in the news regarding the marketing and selling of their health insurance. There have been other insurers who have also jumped on the bandwagon, but perhaps with a different business model, in other words allowing the patient to bring insurance information in to their PHR to add to their records, but with the consumer still in full control. In other words it would be up to the consumer to determine what they want to share back in the other direction should they want to update their health records with an insurer. You can see in the related reading below how information is used and shared by insurers for a little extra background. You are for sale.
I still remember the unsolved security breach between UCI and United HealthCare from earlier this year as well, and how safe would my information be. Again, my resistance here would be trusting a company who’s primary interest lies in risk management. Now if a different business model were adapted to allow claim and other insurance related information to be imported in to Google Health or Microsoft HealthVault, this could be a different story. Privacy and data is utmost the #1 priority, but as we see with risk management, the entire goal is not to provide better healthcare, it is keeping risk down, and if some people attain better health in the process, then it is skewed to envision risk management as the answer to better healthcare, and that is not a 100% solution by any means as we see many fighting claims and going without coverage.
There are entities outside the US that are also competing for your records as well, a recent post here will give you some information on a website established in India that is preparing to offer free imaging services as well, please, buyer beware, read the sites and be as fully educated as you can be, before jumping for a quick decision. Read, read, read, read…and read again for your own sake. BD
Not wishing to be outdone by the likes of Microsoft and Google, UnitedHealth Group today launched its own Web site for people to store their personal health information.
The service, at myoptumhealth.com lets people create their own digital-health records, putting the health insurer into direct competition with Microsoft’s HealthVault and Google Health. The WSJ has the details.
Health Blog : UnitedHealth Takes On Microsoft, Google With Online Health Venture
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