Kaiser to test linking health records to Microsoft (Reuters)

[Bill Sconce]

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0630718920080609


Kaiser to test linking health records to Microsoft
Mon Jun 9, 2008 10:50am EDT

By Deena Beasley

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kaiser Permanente, the biggest health maintenance
organization in the United States, announced a pilot program on Monday to
link patient records to Microsoft Corp's consumer health platform.

The test will initially be limited to Kaiser employees who volunteer to
have their records transferred, but access could be widened to the HMO's
8.7 million members later this year, said Anna-Lisa Silvestre, vice
president of online services at Kaiser.

She said more than 2 million members have signed up to use Kaiser's own
online health records service, My Health Manager, and the agreement with
Microsoft will dramatically expand availability of online health 
information, services and tools.

"People today do a lot of things for their health outside of a formal
healthcare system," Silvestre said, adding that the HMO is looking for 
ways to help members improve their health outcomes.

Kaiser is the first large health provider to link to the Microsoft health
platform, called HealthVault, but Microsoft "expects to connect with lots
and lots of source data providers," said Peter Neupert, vice president of
Microsoft's Health Solutions Group.

He said the Microsoft platform currently offers about 30 tools for
consumers, with more to be announced this week.

Rival Google Inc last month unveiled Google Health, a U.S. health 
information service that combines the leading Web company's classic 
search services with a user's personal health records online.

Kaiser and Microsoft, as well as Google, said their sites adhere to 
federal standards for data exchange and include advanced safeguards to 
protect members' personal information.