Josh Jaffe writes about a developing Google product, Google Health Scrapbook, a service that will allow users to manage their entire medical lives, from adding medical providers, checking medical records, and paying bills. Google met with WebMD in New York last week to partner with them on this project, which would also provide information on hospitals to help patients choose.
Aside from WebMD, Google is hoping to partner with Intuit on the product. Intuit currently offers consumers a software program that helps them keep track of their medical expenses. The company has already met with the CEO of AllScripts LLC, Glen Tullman, and representatives of Epic Systems Corp., which has signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Involved in the project is Missy Krasner, a project manager who joined Google earlier this year. She was previously a top official in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Adam Bosworth is rumored to be the one directing the company’s overall health initiatives.
If this is true (and I am making a total of zero claims as to that effect), it would make a lot of sense. We know Bosworth was heading Google Health, yet the health product announced with Google Co-Op was too small scale to be the real thing. I, for one, hope this to be true, as it is a service that is very much needed, what with medical information being so hard to sift through.
As for Google, this would almost be a shocker. To be totally honest, the product sounds too full-featured for them. I know many Googlers won’t like to hear this, but Google isn’t exactly known for having products that do everything you want or need them to do. If Health is half as good as this rumor says it is, it is a testament to the well-known talents of Bosworth.
Add to Del.icio.us | DiggThis | Yahoo! My Web | Furl
Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.
Visit the InsideGoogle blog.
