OT: Would you trust your health info to Google?

This forum is full of people who take their healthcare very seriously and many track their sleep statistics so I am thinking that any survey of this population would be somewhat skewed but inquiring minds want to know:

Would you/do you trust your health records to one of these new personal health record systems such as Google Health or MS Healthvault?

On one hand, it might be quite useful that if in an emergency situation all of your meds, allergies and recent lab tests were instantly availble to a healthcare provider. But there is that security concern.

Your thoughts?

-Clark

Disclosure - I do work for a medical laboratory with a relationship to Google Health but I am not directly involved with that relationship in any way. Just curious if you think these thing will work.

I would not.....unless they could show me a real, tangible advantage in doing so. To me, it's more "don't mess with success" than a security issue. The way my records are kept now (by various providers) has worked well with no problems that I'm aware of.

However, I would trust Google with my health records before I would trust Congress with my health care system!

However, I would trust Google with my health records before I would trust Congress with my health care system

Of course, anyone on Medicare already does!

I fear that if the current National healthcare plan is approved, this will be a moot point, your records will be stored in some type of online EMR system.

AKCPAPGUY

On one hand, it might be quite useful that if in an emergency situation all of your meds, allergies and recent lab tests were instantly availble to a healthcare provider. But there is that security concern.

So what is the security concern other then rabid privacy? (ignoring the insurance issues which don't concern the rest of the world)
Legally an employer can't refuse to hire you and would have to hack the database to get the info (illegal).
A lot of health care caused problems are caused by fragmentation of records where each hand doesn't know what the other is doing.

Privacy is a vastly over rate paranoia.

BlackSpinner wrote: .....
Privacy is a vastly over rate paranoia.

BS, I am glad we have you to decide that for everyone.

Guest wrote:I fear that if the current National healthcare plan is approved, this will be a moot point, your records will be stored in some type of online EMR system.

AKCPAPGUY

I have a MEDcard listing all the drugs & contacts ---- a CD 3 1/2" with digital records... STILL when I had to go in while in Texas "THEY wouldn't except either source JUST what I could remember ? Being a OLDFART I take over a dozen drugs and remembering the generic names that are 70thelevendy letters long???? I have trouble remembering my name without looking at my drivers license....
-SO-
I hope you are right on having a central data base........ We had a car accident in Wyoming and they followed the MedCard <<Which is FREE>> http://www.medids.com/free-id.php
But had to go throw a few test that If they had the records from Michigan the treatment would of been a lot faster.
I'm NOW in Utah -----NO----- issues yet but I'm at the point of NOT sure what data to carried and in what format!
The Dr. here in Salt Lake City didn't want to look at the info on a thumb drive -BUT- was willing to check the CD???

BERT

Interesting take, Bert. Thanks.

One of the questions around any healthcare database, weather personal or gummint run is would a doc trust the info found there? With doctors constantly under the threat of malpractice action, would they actually diagnose and treat based on data from an unknown source? Obviously from your experiences, the answers are mixed, if not just a tad bizarre. I wonder what would have happened if you had opened up your electronic file and read off the meds to the provider in Texas?

rooster wrote:

BlackSpinner wrote: .....
Privacy is a vastly over rate paranoia.

BS, I am glad we have you to decide that for everyone.

I am expressing an opinion, chicken dinner. You are not the only one allowed that option.
If there are no secrets then no-one can take advantage of secret info. This can't be used to open your bank account, but it could save your life.

Snorebert wrote:Interesting take, Bert. Thanks.

One of the questions around any healthcare database, weather personal or gummint run is would a doc trust the info found there? With doctors constantly under the threat of malpractice action, would they actually diagnose and treat based on data from an unknown source? Obviously from your experiences, the answers are mixed, if not just a tad bizarre. I wonder what would have happened if you had opened up your electronic file and read off the meds to the provider in Texas?

GOOD POINTS....
In Texas I wasn't in any shape to read or bar ally able to talk.. His response was he WOULD NOT read the files on a thumb drive or CD and the date on the medcard was over a month old?? felt like I was in HICK'S VILLE and dealing with a

Was able to get reinforcements <Daughter> who was able to TALK for me and a NOTE: "both kids & Wife have DPA!"
EVERYBODY should conciser having the paperwork done and Certified!
It only takes ONCE to find yourself on the short end of things!!!

BERT

I don't trust online storage for any records. Health records are the least of my concerns. Financial records are my biggest concerns.

BlackSpinner wrote:This can't be used to open your bank account, but it could save your life.

I think the concern is that any discerning database would have to require ALL the info necessary to open an acct. in your name. It is called Identity Theft and is very real.

Snorebert wrote:is would a doc trust the info found there?

My professional IT work is in the national EHR (Electronic Health Record) e-Health field, and I come across this all the time. It is a HUGE issue globally.

Clinicians everyware are professionally very wary of trusting any medical record data that does not have excellent provenance as arising from another clinician, as well as being complete and accurate. Every single clinician I have ever talked to, across multiple jurisdictions, about EHR issues has a personal-experience "war story" regarding adverse clinical quality and safety outcomes arising from patients misrepresenting (and is some cases outright fabricating) medical records they have brought with them from prior treatment at other places.

Both Microsoft and Google are well aware of the issue, but are struggling to address it adequately at this time.

My personal opinion is that eventually something workable will be developed, probably using secure PKI level signatures embedded in records (or similar), but not anytime real soon.

Cheers,

Bill

Believe me... hiring discrimination on the part of employers is alive and well.

Just for laughs some employers may take the 5 seconds to pop your name into a Google search to see what pops out.

Other employers might be very interested to know your medical history so they can try to predict if you will have a chronic absentee issue.

Insurance... well... they seem to look for reasons to deny claims rather than looking for reasons to honor claims.

I can see it now, a whole new cottage industry, people standing on the street in LA, with a laptop and a small printer, selling medical records of the stars.