Microsoft To Launch Digital Patient Health Record Program

BusinessWeek:

Step into a medical office, and you're faced with a paradox of modern medicine. Just beyond the receptionist's desk are all sorts of cutting-edge medical technology. Computed tomography scanners. Electrocardiogram machines. Bone densitometers.

But as you approach that desk to check in, you take a trip back in time. There the receptionist hands you a clipboard of forms. For the umpteenth time you fill in your name, age, allergies, medical history, and the like. For all the medical breakthroughs created by technology, medical records remain an anachronism.

That's changing as more companies vie to bring medical records into the Digital Age. Webmd Health Corp. (WBMD) and insurers such as Aetna (AET), United HealthCare (UNH), and WellPoint (WLP) have provided electronic medical records to policyholders for years. More recently large employers such as Wal-Mart (WMT) and AT&T (T) have been banding together to offer electronic health record systems. Revolution Health Group, led by former America Online (TWX) boss Steve Case, is trying to crack the market, as is search giant Google (GOOG).

Read the whole story: BusinessWeek

Comments

[drblack]

It will be great when Google,Microsoft, Verizon,AT&T and the Biggest Brother of them all..The US government will be able to know everything about you without ever meeting you.
Did you know that your cell phone has a GPS tracking device in it and you can be actively tracked when you have it on you?
We don't need freedom...what does Freedom have to do with the USA.
med records should be on paper and should be kept by the patient AT ALL TIMES.

[NoCalDrummer]

I wouldn't trust Microsoft with a paper clip (including "Clippy"), I sure won't trust them with my health records. Is there anyone out there who's NOT been a victim of some computer virus or malware through Microsoft products? And are any of you who've experience those problems willing to put your private medical records on an equally [if not more] vulnerable spot?
Thanks, Microsoft, but no f---in' way I'm going to do it voluntarily.

[ImmanuelGoldstein]

The real issue of course is, will the security of this software be better than that of most Microsoft software?

Since the late 90's I have been telling people don't use Outlook Express because it's such a transmitter of email viruses. I stopped using Internet Explorer over 2 years ago and haven't had a malware infections since!

Lately I've been telling my friends not to use Window media viewer as THAT is insecure too! (.wmv files can carry malicious scripts.)

And lets not forget Clippy the paperclip!
(an annoying MS Office feature that was incredibly vulnerable to malicious scripts too.)

Now Microsoft wants our medical data? Please! They have a long way to go before I'd trust something as sensitive as medical data to Microsoft software.

[Raster]

ALERT! ALERT! DANGER! DANGER!

[tao53nyc]

The real issue is HIPAA requirements, that often create conflicts between mandated patient "privacy" protections and need-to-know info for the patient's family, legal guardians, and even other health service providers across town. (But the federal government demands to see all - go figure.)

Managing all that, within the context of legacy systems, is a nightmare. HIPAA is worse, from a compliance standpoint, than SarbOx, which gave software service providers a license to print money. Small wonder Microsoft wants to get into this market.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

Couple this solution with Biztalk 2006 running HIPAA accelerator and you have yourself a pretty powerful portal.

HIPAA accelerator that Biztalk uses tears thru most of the HIPAA files in a matter of minutes. Makes the health industry more sane.