[Med-privacy] more on Google Health (et al)

[peter marshall]

GOOGLE PLAN FOR MEDICAL INFO RAISES PRIVACY ISSUES
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Janet Kornblum]

Thousands of patients at the Cleveland Clinic will be able to turn to 
Google to access their medical records online -- everything from their 
prescriptions to diagnoses -- in a pilot program announced Thursday 
that worries some privacy advocates. Google joins other companies -- 
including Revolution Health (started by AOL co-founder Steve Case) and 
Microsoft, which launched HealthVault in October -- that keep personal 
patient records online where they can be accessed by anyone to whom a 
patient gives permission. The Google pilot will start with 1,500 to 
10,000 patients.  Greg Sterling, an analyst at Sterling Market 
Intelligence in San Francisco, calls Google's initiative a "good idea." 
But, he adds, "The problem and the challenge arise in the context of 
consumer privacy and data security." Both Microsoft and Google have 
given assurances that all data will be protected and will remain 
privately controlled by each individual.

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20080222/1b_google22.art.htm