Google Health Launched - Concerns about Security issues around Web

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Google Health opened up to the public today after several months of private beta testing. The long-anticipated health records project now allows Google users to manage their doctor records, prescriptions, and test results, as well as find out information about drug interactions and search for new doctors. All you need is a Gmail account and a healthy dose of trust to get started with Google Health, although some are still skeptical about the terms of service.


Signing into the service is extremely simple. If you already have an account with Google (already required in order to use Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and the like), then you have already skipped a major step. This is also one of Google Health's possible downfalls, however, as it is now exceedingly easy for a hacker to discover someone's universal Google login (which, by the way, has no minimum requirement for secure passwords) and not just access their e-mail but their health records too.


Still, logging in and using the site is easy—"Google easy," one might say. Using easy-to-find links on the landing page or in the left-hand column, users can add their own personal information (such as date of birth, height, and weight), list out their existing medications and allergies, and, most importantly, import their medical records.





This feature is limited to a small list of healthcare providers and drugstores that offer online records already. For those of us whose doctors still maintain records the old fashioned way, importing records won't be quite so simple.
If you do have records as part of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, Longs Drug Stores, and Walgreens Pharmacy (among others), importing your data is exceedingly simple. For me, I had old prescription records stored at Walgreens, which I was able to bring into Google Health after logging into my Walgreens account and authorizing Google to use the information for as long as I deem appropriate. Google makes what you are doing exceedingly clear before you do it and allows you to set your own expiration date for when you need to authorize the import of information again.




Google Health URL - http://google.com/health/

More Read:
ArsTechnica

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