The revolution will be downloaded (II)

Sounds like we’ll finally get a look at Google’s much-discussed-but-as-yet-unseen plans to get into the health records business. Last week the company pulled the curtain back on its new online service. And they are not the only ones coming to healthcare.

Google, Microsoft, Revolution Health... Why are 3 of the largest companies in IT getting into the healthcare market? Well, there is a lot of value there. More and more people are looking to the web for health information, and having a safe place for them to store their medical records will drive more people to that particular site. With healthcare companies (pharma, private practices, retail healthcare, suppliers etc.) being big advertisers on the web…it’s all about getting the eyeballs (and about transforming those eyeballs into money later).

Microsoft just did the same last year, when it launched a service called HealthVault, and AOL co-founder Steve Case is backing Revolution Health, which offers similar online tools.

So, Google is launching a new Internet service that stores personal medical information, The platform will be called Google Health and will allow users to manage their own records, such as medical test results and prescriptions. It will be accessed on any computer with an Internet connection. Patients will be able to enter basic medical data into an online repository, and invite their doctors to electronically submit information as well. More interestingly, Google is saying it will be an open system where third parties can build direct-to-consumer services like medication tables or immunization reminders. Google intends to profit by increasing traffic to its search site.

They are already testing the service with 1.300 volunteers at the Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit medical center. No one knows when it will be deployed worldwide, but I guess it will be soon. It will probably be available first in the United States and then expand abroad.

The whole thing makes a lot of sense, but I’m not sure we are ready for it. Until patients are real “consumers” of healthcare it is unlikely this effort will work. This needs citizens pull-in. Maybe there are early adopters ready for the challenge, but we are so used to spending “other people’s money” and taking healthcare for granted that we do not want any further responsibilities for our care. So long at it is delivered and we do not pay, we are just fine. Vested interests of companies in the healthcare value chain do not want consumers in control. We’ll need to fight that.