I wasn’t surprised to learn recently the number of web sites allowing patients to share feedback on their experiences with physicians has mushroomed. It’s the perfectly logical next step, given our collective obsession with categorizing and ranking everything else in our lives, from body parts to wiper blades to college professors. Read »

Speculation, double-talk, hope, sobriety and fear. It’s a weird mix of knowledge, perceived knowledge and emotion driving us from one rough patch into another as we hurtle through the hairpin turn called 2008, pump our brakes, change lanes, swear out loud, then gun it for 2009. Baby New Year, be damned. The good news for those in the healthcare industry is that it’s not all bad news; while the coming year will likely prove fraught with hazards—recession, cataclysmic inflation, the end of the paper-dollar standard, national security threats, Congress—there are some bright spots ahead. Read »

I’ve devoted a fair amount of column space to developments concerning efforts by Microsoft, Google and others to usher Personal Health Records into an era of common practice. We’ve weighed the privacy and security concerns, evaluated the competitive landscape, measured the potential value of strategic partnerships with major drugstore chains—even paid close attention when payers started getting into the mix, endorsing their contender of choice through a flood of announcements. Read »

Of all the companies offering personal health records on the Web, Microsoft and Google are the biggest and best positioned to hasten the adoption of electronic health records, a move broadly hailed as critical to both improving the quality of medical care and slashing costs. With Microsoft throwing its hat in the ring last October—and Google weighing in last month—the battle for market share between the tech titans is well underway. Read »