[Med-privacy] MS HealthVault

[peter marshall]

Microsoft, AT&T, Covisint Partner On Health Data Exchange

The agreement lets consumers who use Microsoft's HealthVault share =20
their health data with their doctors.

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee,  InformationWeek
June 23, 2008
URL: =20
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?=20
articleID=3D208800235

Through a new partnership between Microsoft, AT&T, and Compuware =20
subsidiary Covisint, consumers who use Microsoft HealthVault tools to =20=

input and manage their personal health data via the Web can now share =20=

this information nationwide with physicians connected to the AT&T =20
Healthcare Community Online data exchange.

Back in February, AT&T and Covisint announced the launch of the health =20=

care data exchange that combines AT&T broadband access with Covisint's =20=

OnDemand Health Platform, a hosted service that provides a VPN portal =20=

to physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers to share =20
patients' lab, pharmacy, X-ray, and other data.

The pact with Microsoft adds the latest piece to the exchange, =20
providing consumers with the ability to access and input their health =20=

data into the exchange. Microsoft's HealthVault is a repository in =20
which consumers can collect, store, manage, and share their personal =20
health data via the Web.

The new partnership between Microsoft, AT&T, and Covisint allows =20
HealthVault users to give their doctors permission to access this =20
additional data over the Covisint/AT&T health exchange. So, for =20
example, if a diabetic consumer uses HealthVault's tools to collect and =20=

store daily glucose readings, the consumer's physician also can access =20=

that data with the patient's consent, said Brett Frust, Covisint's VP =20=

of health care.

The deal with Microsoft is nonexclusive, giving Covisint and AT&T the =20=

ability to sign similar pacts with other providers of consumer personal =20=

health record tools, Frust said.

"We're agnostic" to the applications consumers and doctors use for =20
collecting and managing health data, said Frust. "Pediatricians have =20
different needs than cardiologists" when it comes to the type of =20
applications they use for patient records, he said. "We're about making =20=

it a level playing field to let the technology adapt to [a user's] own =20=

needs."

The new relationship with AT&T and Covisint is Microsoft's latest pact =20=

to extend HealthVault's consumer user base. Last week, Microsoft said =20=

it entered a partnership to allow doctors who provide Web- and =20
phone-based virtual consultations to patients via the new American Well =20=

network to also access consumers' HealthVault personal health records, =20=

with patients' consent.

Copyright =A9 2007 CMP Media LLC=20=