Blue Cross Blue Shield Partners with Google Health

Blue Cross-Blue Shield has now joined Google Health, the new web-based healthcare database recently opened by the Google Internet search engine based in Mountain View, California. This fall, Google Health will be welcoming medical information from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the first health insurer to sign on to the service.

The newly launched Google Health service allows users to create their own Personal Health Record (PHR) to store and organize their medical records securely in an online account. Google Health is a free service offered to anyone who opens an account. The service was launched the latter half of May with initial partners service including Walgreens Pharmacy, CVS Caremark, the American Heart Association, Quest Diagnostics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Medco, Longs Drug Stores and the Cleveland Clinic.

Marissa Mayer, a Google vice president, explained that patients can upload medical records, enter their own data, create their own profile, search for viable information on health conditions and even ask for a second opinion on their diagnosis.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) is one of the 39 independent licensees of the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Association, which insures a combined total of about 100 million Americans. The three million members of BCBSMA will have the opportunity to open a Google Health account and authorize sharing of their medical claims data with the online service.

Members will be able to look up their healthcare claims and medical records online as well as import claims data, helping patients to manage their medical information and allowing for better communication with healthcare providers regarding medical care.

"We believe Google Health will be an important tool used by our members to improve the safety and effectiveness of their healthcare," said Cleve Killingsworth, chairman and chief executive of BCBSMA, in a statement.

Steven Fox, a Blue Cross-Blue Shield vice president who is heading the project explained that the Web tool will make it easier for members to access information about their claims. Fox stated that "It will make the quality of your experience with the physician a little better." He also said regarding the service that "It will be portable. It could improve compliance with treatment protocols. Now, when you get blood work, you'll have the ability to see the actual report." According to Fox, no money will change hands resulting from the affiliation between Google and Blue Cross-Blue Shield.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield previously donated $50 million to the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, which was a pilot project that set up physicians in three Massachusetts communities with equipment to start using electronic medical records. The insurer is an industry leader in the technoligical developement of centralized healthcare information management for members.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield records for the Google service will come from primary care doctors, specialists, laboratories, and pharmacies. The access to medical records kept by doctors will be dependent upon the technology afforded the doctors individual offices.

BCBSMA members will be able to delete their Google Health profile at will and both companies want to assure members that their information will not be sold to or shared with third parties without the user's explicit consent.

Other benefits of Google Health service for BCBSMA members will be the ability to download medical records and prescription history from retail pharmacies, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, labs and doctors. Members will also be able research and learn about important health issues and potential drug-to-drug interactions and be alerted when a drug they are researching may not be compatible with one they are already taking. In addition powerful online search tools will be available for locating a doctor or hospital.