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As if the Googleplex headquarters in Mountainview, California, hasn't already channeled much of the American public in its system, Google Inc. has divulged that it will soon partner with physicians, hospitals, and other medical companies to institute a new health-data service site that allows users to store and have access to their health records. Dubbed "Google Health", this up-and-coming web service is piquing the interest of potential users nationwide.

To test out the new Google Health web system for potential users, the media giant has teamed up with the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, for a pilot project of up to10,000 patients who have agreed to serve as guinea pigs. One of America's top hospitals, the clinic combines clinical and medical care with cutting-edge research, world-class neurologists, and surgeons. The Cleveland clinic chose to partner with Google for the new online health access system to spawn what C. Martin Harris, CIO for the Cleveland Clinic calls "a more efficient and effective national health care system". (Washington Post, 2/22/08)

As part of the test pilot, participants' personal medical records will be funneled into Google Health where they will be able to access them, without, of course, the general public being able to see the materials. Just what services patients will be able to access remains to be seen, but hints have been dropped that the program will allow users not only to view their personal medical records online, but also refill prescriptions and schedule appointments. If the pilot program goes well, Google has already signed on with companies such as Aetna, Wal-Mart, and Quest Diagnostics to launch the service.

With its dominance of the search engine sphere, one might think that Google is already wealthy enough. In fact, this new health information storage endeavor might not even necessarily be a profitable move. Google does not, as of now, plan to sell ad space on those pages, although the majority of the company's vast fortune does in fact come from advertising revenue in general. Microsoft Corp, Google's main rival, will meanwhile be testing out HealthVault, their new service that allows people to store and share medical information with specified family and friends. Just how competitive the two internet mega-giants might get over this new online endeavor should prove to be an interesting battle to observe.

So will this new foray into the medical field prove to be another sure-fire hit for Google's success? Sure, they might offer patients the ability to access medical information from any of their personal doctors, all at the click of a mouse. And in this day and age when our society runs on the ability to be quick and convenient, isn't this what the consumer would want? When it comes to privacy, some will view Google's plan as risky. A patient who opts to send their medical records to an external health website such as that run by Google could also be putting their personal information at risk, as that information will be traversing through cyberspace. While Google will certainly take such fears into account and try to allay them, this point is one for worriers to take into consideration. While only time and tests will determine if this project will be diagnosed as a medical miracle, Google's public will certainly be watching and waiting.

Learn more about this author, Logan Stewart.
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