It noew seems that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MA. is joining forces with Google Health and has entered into an agreement to store patient records. In an article over at Computer World the article states:

Google today announced that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has agreed to let its members import personal claims data to their Google Health profiles. The move blunts some of the program’s early critics, who had complained about the lack of support from insurance companies. Because insurers have claims data that spans various doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, they are often seen as a key to providing adequate data to populate personal health records (PHR) systems.

“Our members tell us they want easier and more portable access to their health care information,” said Steven Fox, the insurer’s vice president of provider network management, in a statement. “Having this information in one place can play an important role in managing a member’s health and in helping members and their doctors make health care decisions that can improve the quality of care they receive.”

Once the integration is complete, Massachusetts Blue Cross members will be able to manage all their health information at Google Health, and share it with any health care provider. Google Health allows users to store data about medical conditions, medications and past treatment online. Each time new data is added to a user’s profile, the system checks for potential adverse reactions to a medication or treatment.

This one statement I found of interest:

“Our members tell us they want easier and more portable access to their health care information,”

Hmmmm…….. It make one wonder just how many members of this health group actually asked for easier and portable access. I haven’t personally contacted my health carrier asking to join Google or Microsoft’s health storage system.

Have you?

Comments welcome.

Source.