Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Microsoft Wants Your Medical Records
NewsMax ^ | October 22, 2007 | Jon VanZile

Posted on 10/23/2007 7:27:29 AM PDT by kddid

Microsoft, the $51 billion computer-software giant, is not satisfied with simply being the major systems provider for most computers in America -- it also wants to hold your personal medical records, and everyone else's in the country.

The Redmond, Wash.-based firm started by Bill Gates sees this as good business, and even plans to offer advertising along with computerized searches of your records.

"Our goal is to become an advertising powerhouse," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells Advertising Age. "Today, we're the No. 3 seller of Internet ads. We're determined to allocate the talent, the resources, the money, and the innovation to be the pre-eminent software provider for advertisers, publishers, and agencies. We have all the pieces we need to succeed."

Microsoft says today’s health care recordkeeping is messy and not ready for the digital world. The company plans to do something about it.

But the idea that your most private medical records may be housed by a private company, and accessible to strangers with a few keystrokes, has privacy advocates concerned.

In early October, the software giant introduced HealthVault, an online service that allows people to store their medical records for easy access and retrieval. The service is free to consumers and physicians. Files can be uploaded directly by doctors and patients in a number of formats, and each account has multiple layers of access privileges.

The HealthVault program is part of Microsoft’s goal to become an advertiser-driven business. Ballmer tells Advertising Age that his company hopes that advertising will generate up to 25 percent of its revenues within the next decade.

Microsoft is investing heavily in its advertising capability. In 2007, it spent about $1 billion on research and development in its MSN Internet unit, which includes adCenter, its Internet pay-per-click advertising unit. That compares to $500 million spent in 2005, according to an InfoWorld.com report. In May, Microsoft invested $6 billion to acquire aQuantive, a digital marketing services agency with 2,600 employees that it's banking on to further boost its Internet advertising business.

Microsoft’s money-making plan for HealthVault involves interweaving a health-centric search engine with the document database -- and offering advertising with the searches. The market could be enormous. According to a Harris Interactive poll, 76 percent of adult Americans over age 55 use the Internet to research health conditions.

Just How Safe?

Medical records contain some of the most private sensitive information any person might have. Disclosure of chronic diseases can affect careers, relationships, and even social standing.

So just how safe are these records?

Probably less secure than most people appreciate -- and if Microsoft's HealthVault grows into a national medical records storehouse, they might not be protected at all under federal law.

Under the federal medical privacy law, known as HIPAA, health records can be disclosed by your doctor's office to a few entities without your permission. This includes any company involved in treatment, payment, or health care operations, such as a doctor's office, billing agency, or insurance company.

HealthVault occupies a murky territory somewhere in between.

A Microsoft spokesperson tells eWeek magazine that HealthVault will be covered under "HIPAA considerations," but the extent of actual coverage is unknown, according to Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer-education group.

It probably will require a court challenge before anybody knows for sure, and Stephens thinks it unlikely that Microsoft would go to court to defend any single person's right to privacy.

"It would be prohibitively expensive," Stephens says.

The Perfect Answer

As far as Microsoft sees it, HealthVault is the perfect answer to one of the most pressing problems for American families -- the convoluted health care system. But critics urge caution.

If HealthVault is successful, it will pool an enormous amount of the most sensitive medical information in one place, creating an unprecedented national medical record. Such a record would be vulnerable to hackers and subpoenas alike, not to mention earthquakes and terrorist attacks.

"That poses significant risks," says Stephens. "First of all, as we're seeing with telephone companies, the federal government can obtain information under the guise of national security."

In recent years, telecommunications companies have come under scrutiny for participating in a federal call-monitoring program aimed at detecting terrorist activity. In some cases, domestic phone records were provided to the FBI voluntarily, without subpoenas.

According to Stephens, a national medical record may be just as irresistible to government data-mining operations. "The government feels it can obtain information about potential terrorists by mining billions of pieces of data," he says.

Such a concentration of private medical records may also prove irresistible to lawyers.

"Under the current system, lawyers would have to know all your medical providers and physically go to each place to secure records," Stephens says. "But the likelihood is that if Microsoft receives a subpoena, they're going to fulfill it because it would become prohibitively expensive to contest every subpoena."

And, finally, of course there is the threat posed by a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or computer hacker. If Microsoft's servers were disrupted for any reason, whoever had stored files in HealthVault would lose them. In an emergency, this could be catastrophic.

Microsoft believes it has addressed these issues.

At HealthVault's October debut, Peter Neupert, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s health solutions group, said the company was using secure, physically isolated servers; the entire system is encrypted and totally controlled by users; and the company has pledged never to release health-related information to marketing organizations.

"This is about the family health manager, and creating an information system that works for them," Neupert said. "We need to make this information reusable. We need to make it accessible."

Neupert faulted the current health care records system, with its multiple forms and many clipboards, as overwhelming for the average "family health care manager," usually a mother, who is responsible for herself, her children and her husband, and, often, elderly parents as well.

"These women want tools to simplify their interactions with the health delivery system," Neupert says. "They want an information system that puts them at the center, that makes it easy to manage their health. And we can do that."

So far, industry reaction to HealthVault has been cautious. Few health care providers are participating, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and success with the system depends on large-scale involvement.

As for Stephens, he says he won't trust his medical information to Microsoft any time soon.

"My preference is that people maintain their own health information in both paper and electronic forms on a thumb USB drive," he says. "There is a great deal of utility in having medical records in one place, but the question is where do you want to keep it?"


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last
Microsoft is here to help.
1 posted on 10/23/2007 7:27:31 AM PDT by kddid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: kddid

Microsoft can kiss my hairy white arse.


2 posted on 10/23/2007 7:28:43 AM PDT by wastedyears (A cosmic castaway)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid

Id rather let microsoft have it than some place in a far away land


3 posted on 10/23/2007 7:28:58 AM PDT by al baby (Hi mom)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid
Now they're just getting annoying.

Could we please concentrate some of that corporate effort into making a good OS?  Please?

 

4 posted on 10/23/2007 7:31:30 AM PDT by Psycho_Bunny (Islam is a clown car with guns.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: al baby
Id rather let microsoft have it than some place in a far away land

The two maybe one and the same considering how much is farmed out by Microsoft and others to overseas operations...
5 posted on 10/23/2007 7:32:25 AM PDT by af_vet_rr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: af_vet_rr

Yeah great Abdul in India putting 10000 medical records on his 10gb flash drive and selling to highest bidder


6 posted on 10/23/2007 7:36:00 AM PDT by dennisw (Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: kddid
But the idea that your most private medical records may be housed by a private company, and accessible to strangers with a few keystrokes, has privacy advocates concerned.

Umm, and they think this already isn't happening? Medical records companies exist today, and are used to make all kinds of decisions about you without you knowing it.

I just went through this while obtaining a new life insurance policy. It was amazing how many hands were on my records between my family practice doctor and the insurance company. It was more than a few.

The thought/suggestion that Microsoft has nefarious intentions in this product offering is completely laughable. NewsMax should be more worried about what Al Gore's Google is up to.

7 posted on 10/23/2007 7:40:07 AM PDT by craig_eddy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid
Basically, right now, your medical records are at the mercy of the lowest paid staffer at whatever doc's office that you go to. I used to do IT for hospitals and doc's offices (before HIPAA, admittedly) and they're no better or worse than any other company.

I don't like the idea of Microsoft housing the data, but my point is that the data is no more or less secure with them, than where it's sitting right now.

I *do* see this as a step towards socialized medicine. "Mr. WBill, scanning the MS database, I see that you need a MRI on your knee. I see that there is a machine available in Clevland on Tuesday...I assume that you'll be able to fly there in time. Otherwise, you'll need to wait 3 months until a local one opens up."

SO, I guess that a single large DB is a bad idea, after all. Certainly it's a lot less convenient for all concerned.

8 posted on 10/23/2007 7:42:32 AM PDT by wbill
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid

I’ve always wondered how Windows works with HIPPA. The license for Windows states Microsoft can come on your machine and do things without your permission. Doesn’t this cause HIPPA problems?


9 posted on 10/23/2007 7:45:04 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid

Microsoft is trying to be the world’s hard drive.

and by extension a mothly bill to be paid.

They are delusional if they think business will use them to store confidential client data.


10 posted on 10/23/2007 7:48:15 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid
Such a concentration of private medical records may also prove irresistible to lawyers.

The "Law Offices of James Sokolove" would pay millions for a few searches through this database to troll for tort clients.

11 posted on 10/23/2007 7:51:04 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: antiRepublicrat

Actually, it is HIPAA. But you make a VERY good point.


12 posted on 10/23/2007 7:51:19 AM PDT by Andyman (The truth shall make you freep.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: kddid
Steve Job's doctor: Well, Mr. Jobs, it looks like everything is OK. Let me give one final check to your records to see if you need anything else.

type, type, type.

Microsoft medical database: Jobs, Steven: required prescription, 20 cc potassium cyanide.

Doctor: that's strange, but the computer says it's required.

Steve Jobs: Ouch, gasp, clunk.

The only organization I would trust less than Microsoft with complete control of my medical records is the US government.

13 posted on 10/23/2007 7:52:34 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (May the heirs of Charles Martel and Jan Sobieski rise up again to defend Europe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: af_vet_rr

Yeah i had that thought just as i hit post


14 posted on 10/23/2007 7:54:51 AM PDT by al baby (Hi mom)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: kddid

I’d rather pay more to a doctor than have Microsoft keep my records “safe”.


15 posted on 10/23/2007 7:55:58 AM PDT by montag813
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: craig_eddy
The thought/suggestion that Microsoft has nefarious intentions in this product offering is completely laughable.

That's a non sequitur.

They don't have to have "nefarious intentions", twirling their moustaches as they tie young women to railroad tracks, for this to be a terrible idea.

We have lost enough privacy already. We don't need to help Microsoft "become an advertising powerhouse" with the help of our medical records.

16 posted on 10/23/2007 8:00:32 AM PDT by highball ("I never should have switched from scotch to martinis." -- the last words of Humphrey Bogart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: kddid
When Hillary Healthcare takes hold, at least she'll only have one place to go to find out which ones of us are worth government money for treatment.

Kevorkian for Surgeon General!

17 posted on 10/23/2007 8:07:55 AM PDT by BallyBill (Serial Hit-N-Run poster)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kddid

Steve Ballmer should have his own medical records examined...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bylDojTWfyU


18 posted on 10/23/2007 8:11:13 AM PDT by EscapedDutch (Loquendi Libertatem Custodiamus (especially from Islamofascists))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: highball

NewsMax has managed to combine that quote with a completely unrelated topic. In other words, they’ve taken Balmer’s quote TOTALLY out of context. You can view the ad-age article here: http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=72272614856578&mkt=en-US&lang=en-US&w=3e13c58&FORM=CVRE3

No mention at all in that of their health initiative


19 posted on 10/23/2007 8:16:18 AM PDT by craig_eddy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: kddid

Microsoft: A monstrous, expensive bureaucratic monopoly, bored and looking for something else to meddle in.


20 posted on 10/23/2007 8:16:44 AM PDT by TChris (Cartels (oil, diamonds, labor) are bad. Free-market competition is good.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson