The PHR war between Google, Microsoft and rivals seems to have reached a new stage


in
The PHR war between Google, Microsoft and rivals seems to have reached a new stage, with Google and Microsoft scoring major insurance partners this week.
 
Google Health has just recruited its first insurance company to participate in its PHR program. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest insurer, will let its members create PHRs using Google's technology. When the project is fully ramped up this fall, BCBSMA members will be able to important their claims data into their Google Health profiles. The PHR will allow patients not only to store medical records and insurance data, but also to download them from other connected providers.
 
Susan Leahy, spokeswoman at the health plan said the Blues went with Google over Microsoft because “Google was the first one to approach us.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean it will remain an exclusive relationship. “We want to get some experience with Google and then look to other providers,” she said.
 
While BCBS of MA is the first insurer to come on board, Google Health has many other existing partners, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Walgreens, CVS/Caremark, Minute Clinic, Medco, Longs Drugs and RxAmerica.
 
Microsoft, meanwhile, has signed a deal under which Kaiser Permanente will bring MS's HealthVault platform together with KP's personal health records for use by Kaiser employees and their doctors. More than 2.2 million of Kaiser's members use its existing PHR, called My Health Manager. Kaiser will now use HealthVault technology to expand My Health Manager's capabilities. The new combined platform will begin pilot testing this summer.
 
Additionally, information technology and content vendors have announced more than 40 applications and devices designed to work with the HealthVault personal health records software. The vendors announced their wares at the second annual Microsoft HealthVault Solutions Conference in Bellevue, Wash. Kryptiq Corp. in Hillsboro, Ore., for instance, announced that GreenField Health, a clinic in Portland, Ore., is using the Connect IQ Web portal and secure messaging software to enable patients to transmit data in their PHR--such as blood pressure values or medications--to their physician’s inbox in the clinic’s Centricity electronic health records software from GE Healthcare. Kryptiq next month will make the functionality a standard part of its products. Patients of physicians using the free Allscripts ePrescribe software from Chicago-based Allscripts LLC will be able to have an electronic copy of their medication history, conditions and allergies to place in their HealthVault PHR.
 
Consumers also can use a variety of patient monitoring devices to monitor blood pressure, glucose levels, peak flow, oxygen levels, weight, body fat, body mass index, calories and distance traveled, and place this information in their PHR.
 
Finally, to encourage use of its platform, Microsoft Corp. has awarded $4.5 million in grants for 15 projects that support research and development of applications that will use the software giant’s HealthVault personal health records software and consumer health portal service.