ABSTRACT
A minority have electronic records that provide tools for writing progress notes and prescriptions, ordering laboratory and imaging tests, and viewing test results. Online repositories will allow patients to store, retrieve, manage, and share their health data — such as lists of medical problems, medical history, medications, allergies, immunizations, test results, insurance information, and doctor’s visits — over the Internet. Online repositories typically promise consumers, in the words of Google Health, “complete control over data,” meaning that personal information won’t be sold or shared without the consumer’s explicit permission. Repositories may have comprehensive privacy policies, and people can always delete their data or cancel their accounts. Dossia was announced in December 2006, Microsoft Health-Vault in October 2007, and Google Health in February 2008, so their collective impact is not yet measurable. Although some physicians and patients will embrace increased use of the Internet for health care, others may prefer to watch from the sidelines as the bugs are worked out.
