HealthVault and Google Health

I wanted to try out Microsoft’s much ballyhooed HealthVault, but when I logged in with my Live account, this is what I got:

Thank you for your interest in Microsoft HealthVault
This release of Microsoft HealthVault is intended for use only within the United States(US). We are working to make HealthVault available globally and encourage you to try again at a later date.

Ok, so much for that. My first try at “investigative blogging” and I get the door slammed in my face.

Google’s entry into the medical records arena is Google Health, currently being endorsed by non other than the Cleveland Clinic. To be honest, I am quite impressed with the initial screenshots (more here), but the problem with Google getting involved with medical records is that it’s basically a big ad company. What’s the assurance that it won’t use the data being gathered through Google Health to pad its ad revenue. For example, when you log into Google Health and indicate that you have Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, will you be suddenly inundated with diabetes medication ads while you surf the web?

I doubt it. I honestly think the Google Health Advisory Council will prevent this from happening. While the official privacy policy is probably still in its initial drafting stages, the Official Google Blog did have this to say:

Due to the sensitive and personal nature of the data that will be stored in Google Health, we need to conduct our health service with the same privacy, security, and integrity users have come to expect in all our services. Google Health will protect the privacy of your health information by giving you complete control over your data. We won’t sell or share your data without your explicit permission. (Emphasis mine.)

This leaves us with several questions. What exactly is Google’s revenue model here? Will Third World hospital’s such as ours be able to afford such a service? Does Microsoft HealthVault have a similar advisory committee?