HealthVault and Google Health are similar in that they are both backed by large companies with a lot of resources and have both looked at the same problem and arrived at similar conclusions, he said. “One conclusion is that you cannot revolutionize health care in one big step. The other is that the consumer is really the agent of change in all of this.”
Still, there are some differences, he said. Microsoft is primarily focused on enabling people to manage their health information, and less engaged in providing self-care tools, something that Google is pursuing.
Both companies are trying to line up partners across the health care landscape, including insurers and managed care plans, information service providers, medical organizations, and patient advocacy groups.
Microsoft recently partnered with Kaiser Permanente, an integrated health plan with more than 8 million members, to test the transfer of data from Kaiser's personal health records into HealthVault.
The pilot project, launched last month, is open to Kaiser's 159,000 employees. The idea is to combine the clinical data entered by Kaiser physicians, which is available in the Kaiser personal health record, with patient-entered health information and clinical information from providers outside of the Kaiser system. Kaiser officials plan to reevaluate the pilot later in the year before expanding it to its members.
Google's Mr. Wiseman said it is important to create alliances with health plans because many people will not use it unless their health plans support it. Among Google Health's new partners is HealthGrades, a private company that is a leader in online physician and hospital ratings. Currently, Web users seeking HealthGrades ratings for a doctor or hospital must pay a fee. Under the partnership agreement, users would have free access to the ratings.
Google Health and Microsoft's HealthVault aim to make consumers agents of change. 2008 Microsoft Corporation/Google Health