The battle rages on...

The battle between Google and Microsoft has heated up once again with the announced acquisition of MedStory by Microsoft which they described as a signal of "a long-term commitment toward the development of a broader consumer health strategy" and which they hope would provide them with the "specialized search engine tailored to deliver useful medical information to consumers."

We're sure you've heard about this all day – from bloggers covering it, such as Donna Bogatin, to the prestigious papers such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times (and many others).

Why so much action? Why is this so important?

Several reasons:

1. The healthcare field is a very hot field now --especially with the aging baby boomers. Therefore, when another major corporation enter the health care field, it is major news. Google and Steve Case (former head of AOL) are already major players in the health field with Google Health (yet to launch) and Revolution Health (launched last month) respectively. (We aren't holding our breadths for Yahoo to be a part of this battle on the health care field).
2. There seems to be a friendly (?) battle between Google and Microsoft. After all, according to Donna Bogatin, one of Google's strategies is "Death to the (Microsoft) hierarchy." Evidence of Google succeeding is seen in its relative success with Google Apps – a territory Microsoft has had a monopoly on.
3. Finally, finally, finally--- corporations are looking for ways to get information (our medical information) to the consumers. Doctors, hospitals, insurance companies (and really anyone who wants our medical information) has access to it--- anyone but us! Everyone else can have access to it, but we can't have access to our own records-- how does this make any sense? It doesn't! and finally companies are addressing this issue.
4. ANY news is more important than where Anna Nicole Smith gets buried. Let the woman rest in peace at last.

It will be interesting to see what unfolds though Microsoft might have a little bit of catching up to do. Adam Bosworth, the vice president of engineering at Google, announced in his speech in early December the need for a "health URL" (which we can all take to mean that Google is creating said "health URL"). In late January, Steve Case launched the (anticipated?) Revolution Health. Who will win this race – the race for the hearts, and trust of the consumers? Is the field big enough for all these titan players?

We'll see…. Though our money’s on Google.

Special Posting: Congratulations to Revolution Health!

Congratulations to our friends at RevolutionHealth on the launch! We are delighted to see respect of consumers and their empowerment as the defining motivation for this new product/service offering. It is high time in a field that devours one-third of the Nation's GNP with very few REAL established controls and virtually no accountability. Steve, Ron and the team have put consumers into the driver seat via utilities and tools to navigate and manage their future healthcare experience -- and those of loved ones, near or far. Together, with our partners at GoogleHealth, we expect caregivers to be front and center as THE definitive managers of modern healthcare. Caregiving is a superior identity for consumers in this new paradigm. Proactive vs. reactive should infuse the spirit of any healthcare product, good or service experienced by consumers.

Thus far, the modern family caregiver has been given short shrift by the medical/clinical and non-profit establishment(s). The past identity of caregiver has been stuck in a time warp, reflective of an era dating back to the 1918 Flu Pandemic. Women now work long hours out of the home and families are spread around the globe. Technology has created utilities/tools that would have been unthinkable pre- WWII -- yet, when media puts forth the identity of a caregiver -- if they do at all, it is exclusively as a victim of circumstance. Toxic, as I was recently told by those who should know better.

CareTALK doesn't intend to trivialize the caregiving experience. Yet, it is TIME for a refresh of the consumer identity that reflects a REAL MANAGER who, in the modern era, has at his/her disposal a myriad of assets with which to take on the challenges of self-care and caregiving unknown to previous generations.

WHO is this modern caregiver? It is you. It is me. It is we.

The most sophisticated information consumers worldwide in history can and should take up this challenge in a modern identity that garners RESPECT and complements the new technologies available to manage the challenges we face, including unprecedented LONGEVITY. How can more than half of the boomers believe Medicare covers their long-term care expenses? Top/down (from on high?) information flow and education have not worked. We are facing a disaster if consumers do not take responsibility and control of their own caregiving -- including PLANNING from a young age.

Steve Case and Adam Bosworth are MODERN CAREGIVERS. (Read Adam's recent speech here.) They inspire. They challenge. They are agents of CHANGE. They are savvy and driven to not only elevate our management experience of healthcare complexities -- but to elevate the identity of MODERN CAREGIVERS in the process. We are not children or chattel. Time for the establishment(s) of healthcare and long-term care to recognize this pertinent FACT, and fully participate in our speedy education process. Caregivers and patients want and need a seat at the table in order to rein in the out-of-control, special interest-driven healthcare system.

Thank you Steve and Adam for pulling up chairs -- for us. The CareTALK Gals are with you!

Renata McGriff


* Here's a very interesting article we found that you may also be interested in:
Healthcare 2.0: Revolution Health: ambitious, as it should be