Google, Microsoft, others agree to EHR security standards

In an attempt to address patients’ concerns about the privacy of online personal health records, Google, Microsoft and a collection of insurers and providers have agreed to a set of security standards the companies say will be equal to those already in place for paper records (Source: “Prescription for Protecting Online Health Records,” AP/Washington Post, June 25, 2008).

The guidelines were unveiled Wednesday with the hope that patients will feel comfortable enough to begin agreeing to place their records online in greater numbers. Microsoft and Google both introduced online HER storage services in the past year, but according to estimates released Wednesday by the Markle Foundation, only 6.1 million American have electronic personal health records.

"Consumer demand for (PHRs) and online health services will take off when consumers trust that personal information will be protected," said Zoe Baird, Markle's president.