Google's health project

We have all read the rumors about Google entering the healthcare arena which have been circulating online, but this posting by Roni Zeiger, M.D., is the clearest official message from the Googlers.

In the posting Is there a doctor in the family?, Roni writes:

In addition to my medical training, I studied medical informatics before coming to Google. I learned about computer systems that are designed to remind doctors about tests and treatments that their patients should have. I can say from personal experience that it is difficult to remember everything I should be doing for my patients, or to read every new article on the latest test or drug. These systems help doctors get the information they need to deliver quality care.

I believe patients should also have access to these kinds of systems so that they can help make sure they are getting the best care. If you search online to learn more about diabetes, it should be easy to find out what the generally recommended treatments and tests are.

Now I'm part of the team here working on health and we're trying to do something about this problem. Adam Bosworth, who is leading our team, has alluded to this in previous posts such as this one as well as in some speeches he has made at healthcare conferences.

We have been talking to many medical experts to understand what the best guidelines are, and how we can determine which ones apply in different circumstances. If such guidelines were more available to patients, they might be able to, by inputting information such as age, gender or medications, learn about recommended screening tests and other preventive measures, or about harmful drug interactions. (The problem of drug interactions is reason enough to work on this: in the U.S. alone, it is estimated that over 770,000 people are injured or die each year in hospitals from adverse drug events. Many of these medical errors could be prevented if patients or doctors checked for drug interactions.)

As we work on this project, we are of course paying very close attention to privacy.

We can't wait to see Google's health project!

Complete control over our personal heath data

How many of you have had problems getting access to your own health records? If insurance companies, employers, and the government can have access to your own records, why is it so difficult for you to gain access to your own records?

Well, Google is planning to put an end to this inefficiency (one of many) in our health care system.

Adam Bosworth, VP of engineering at Google, gave a speech at the 2007 American Medical Association of Informatics (AMIA) Spring Congress on Tuesday regarding a vision of what we all should expect from our health care system over the next decade (and we believe Google will be the key player in helping this vision become reality).

As Adam said:

This vision for the future of health care starts with the premise that consumers
should own their own total personal health and wellness data (I'll call it PHW
for short) and that only consumers, not insurers, not government, not employers,
and not even doctors, but only consumers, should have complete control over how
it is used. As an additional premise, we believe consumers should have the right
to all data that is about their personal health and wellness in electronic form.

And three principles that are core to the future of health care system are:

Discovery - Consumers should be able to discover the most relevant health information possible

Action - Consumers should have direct access to personalized services to help them get the best and most convenient possible health support

Community - Consumers should be able to learn from and educate those in similar health circumstances and from their health practitioners

It's about time consumers and their needs are put on the forefront in our health care system.

If anyone can realize this vision, Google can! We're with them!

We’re not afraid of Google!

The cover story of the April 9th issue of BusinessWeek asks: "Who's Afraid of Google?"

We are NOT afraid of Google. We are NOT afraid of change. Point of fact, Google has changed our lives -- for the better, as consumers.

There are entrenched interests in healthcare and media, and change is never easy-- but it is the price we pay for progress. (We are not still riding in a horse and buggy--and thank goodness for it.)

CareTALK works with EVERYONE, and that has not been hindered by our relationship with Google at all. Hysteria aside by those who lunch at Michael's, CareTALK fully endorses Google's functioning as a change agent across deeply entrenched industries.

The one thing we, at CareTALK, can say is that we have been treated with the utmost RESPECT by Google, Inc. We have personally witnessed and experienced that it does not matter in the least whether you are a startup or a Madison Avenue/Hollywood titan.

So... how does that change agent, progressive stance apply to healthcare -- and where is it more needed than in healthcare?

78 Million American citizens are turning 60 at the rate of 10,000/day. Year in and year out, ad nauseum, we are told by politicians, employers, hospitals, and the pharma industrial complex, that consumers have to be responsible, proactive, pay more for less. Where is the RESPECT and service?

BIG QUESTION: Who has or will arm consumers with the information and management resources to take on these increasingly complex responsibilities?

For boomers worldwide, and those who depend upon this generation economically, the answer for nine years -- since it's birth--has been Google, Inc. Notwithstanding all of the brands, commercials, promotions and fads, this company has integrated education, service, and RESPECT of the consumer -- their primary goal. No wonder consumers trust and rely on Google, Inc.

Since the Ronald Regan Era, we have heard that something needs to be done about healthcare. Every four and six years, the issue is trod out as a safe and entertaining issue for campaign chit-chat. Then after the conventions are over, the die is cast, we wake up to 40 Million American citizens facing healthcare risks and possible bankruptcy -- the great uninsured. If you are lucky, you can be born uninsured and die uninsured without the basic human right every modern nation provides its citizens. What other recourse is there for consumers to manage and arm themselves with the information resources they need at the granular level-- than Google, Inc? Whether you won the lottery, are insured, or uninsured, Google's search prowess helps one navigate and source the information necessary to MANAGE our fractured healthcare system. Google, Inc. RESPECTS the consumer. They do not distinguish between haves and have-nots. Instead of balkanizing the universe of information and people, this company is seeking ways to level the playing field.

Now, we can either criticize and throw road blocks in their path or find ways to collaborate and partner with this company that is forcing progress in pivotal areas where it is desperately needed. LEADERSHIP is sorely needed and sorely lacking in the world today.

Think Katrina.
Think the war in Iraq.
Think healthcare -- CareTALK's domain.

They are not perfect, but who is? Google Inc's leadership and courage to take on the challenges that face consumers, voters, students, and people of every walk of life who can and can't afford an increasingly out of control university tuition--second only to runaway healthcare costs--should be rewarded and supported.

Google helps us manage and solve the problems of modern life. The world is coming at consumers very fast and the pace of innovation has accelerated to such a point that technology is creating more stress than decreasing it. Managing the information flow is paramount in modern life.

Progress is painful. However, information should be ubiquitous in the modern world.

We are with you Google, Inc!

We have confidence the economic issues for media companies/partners will be sorted out. However, we are also glad that lobbyists, investment bankers, men in suits at The Four Seasons, and other dictators will never have things as good as they did before Google, Inc.-- at the expense of the consumer.

Good.