Google is letting patients share electronic medical records with loved ones or care providers who may be needed to help in emergencies.
The decision to let people selectively allow others to glimpse medical profiles results from feedback it has gotten since Google Health medical records service was launched last May.
“One issue we hear regularly is that people want help coordinating their care and the care of loved ones,” Google product manager Sameer Samat said in a message posted at the California firm’s Web site. “They want the ability to share their medical records and personal health information with trusted family members, friends and doctors in their care network.”
Google Health now has a “share this profile” feature that permits chosen people to view, but not alter, online medical records.
“A few years ago, my father suffered a minor heart attack and was sent to the emergency room,” Samat wrote. “I arrived on the scene in a panic and was asked what medications he was taking. I had no clue. If my father had a Google Health account and had shared his profile with me, I would have been up-to-date on his current medications.”
Renewable links to health records are uniquely tailored to each recipient and automatically expire after 30 days, Google said.
“You can stop sharing at any time and you can always see who has access to your information,” Samat said. “Those who are viewing your profile can only see the profile you share, not any other one in your account.”
Benefits of electronic health records have been touted by US President Barack Obama and are believed by analysts to strongly appeal to “Baby Boomers” born between the late 1940s and early 1960s.
Microsoft rolled out its HealthVault online medical records storage and management service in October 2007.
Privacy advocates worry that online medical information is vulnerable to tampering or snooping, possibly from insurance companies or employers out to reduce liabilities by shunning those with health issues.
Google said it built a secure computer platform separate from its search system to host medical records as part of an emphasis on keeping health information protected.
Google vice president of search product and user experience Marissa Mayer said at the launch of Health that it was built with “our highest level of security.”
Google Health has links to pharmacies, clinics and diagnostic labs.
The service is free and enables people to have electronic copies of information such as prescriptions, lab test results, hospital stays and medical conditions stored on Google computers.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS