| My grandfather used to say when I was faced with | | | | components from the Silicon Valley search engine |
| difficult a choice, "It's sometimes easier to ask | | | | giant, and HealthVault, Microsoft's near-mirror service, |
| forgiveness than it is to ask permission." | | | | market themselves to consumers who want to |
| A deeply thoughtful, wiser-than-his-years Veteran of | | | | simplify their medical histories using their servers as the |
| WWII who died peacefully before I turned fourteen, he | | | | electronic filing cabinet. Once you sign up, you can |
| wasn't advocating I live a life devoid of consequences, | | | | grant permissions to your doctor, hospital, insurance |
| of respect for authority or of moral responsibility (at | | | | company and pharmacy to read, review and add to |
| my age, though, it sure sounded like he was giving me | | | | your record. To save time at the doctor's office or in |
| the nod to take my mom's old Ford LTD out for a | | | | the event of an emergency, the services tout, you can |
| spin). I realized later in life that he meant adults | | | | print a wallet card of your medical history and account |
| sometimes act like kids and fight over silly things. So | | | | information to carry with you. |
| when I have a decision to make and I feel strongly | | | | Both companies place the security burden on the user, |
| about it, he was saying it's best to trust my | | | | and have specific language in their respective use |
| conscience, read my moral compass, make a choice | | | | agreements that hold them harmless for any breach |
| and live with the outcome. | | | | of data caused by a compromise of a user account. |
| I sure miss my Grand Daddy. But in this age of | | | | But Phil Cox, principal consultant at network security |
| technology-takes-all, I am sort of glad he's not around | | | | company SystemExperts, told Information Week |
| to see what's happening to the world he once knew. | | | | magazine recently that security at both Google Health |
| It's hard --- almost painful --- to imagine him Tweeting, | | | | and Microsoft's HealthVault is lousy. |
| updating his Facebook account or even using a | | | | "Given the security issues with generic credentials, I |
| telephone without a cord attached. Still, after suffering | | | | worry that individual users will have little recourse if |
| through several open-heart surgeries when replacing | | | | their information is compromised," said Cox. "I do think |
| your own valves with those from a pig was your only | | | | this will cause some very interesting legal challenges." |
| hope for staying alive, it's a blessing and a curse he's | | | | Cox and other IT security experts believe that both |
| not here to see how technology is changing medicine. | | | | services will eventually be brought under HIPAA rules, |
| His sage advice about making responsible decisions | | | | which might cause Google and Microsoft to drop the |
| has never been more relevant when I think about how | | | | services rather than bring them up to regulatory |
| we're evolving, revolving, around technology; especially | | | | standards. Google and Microsoft plan to evolve their |
| when it comes to healthcare reform. | | | | services to a complete data repository of health |
| While the Cat's Away, the Mouse will Play | | | | information, which would be a "HUGE collection of |
| Some $44 billion will move fast into the pockets of | | | | highly sensitive data" with "inadequate" protection, Cox |
| health insurance providers, information technology | | | | said. |
| companies and medical practices when (or, more | | | | OMG! Becky has High Cholesterol! |
| appropriately, if) Congress passes healthcare reform | | | | Aside from other potential security breaches |
| this year. Depending on whom you ask on Capitol Hill, | | | | associated with storing information in "The Cloud" --- |
| the reform bill is either on its way to the President's | | | | that nebulous place IT guys refer to which really |
| desk, or it's a badly injured mouse in the midst of the | | | | means someone else's hard drive other than your |
| biggest cat fight in D.C at the moment. | | | | own, both Google and Microsoft use generic |
| While the bill is still under debate and changing by the | | | | credentials. Your existing Windows Live ID and Google |
| minute, one provision of reform that both Democrats | | | | ID, which have had security violations in the past, is |
| and Republicans apparently agree upon is mandating | | | | now the only firewall behind your medical history. This |
| the paper-heavy healthcare industry adopt electronic | | | | isn't as big of a deal if say, an e-mail to your friend is |
| medical records by 2013. The argument is that paper | | | | sacrificed during a server outage. But data being |
| breeds inefficiency and thus costs the industry a lot of | | | | protected in your medical records repository is much |
| money in lost productivity. Paperless medicine creates | | | | more sensitive than your calendar sporting the parties |
| affordable healthcare, say proponents. | | | | you're headed to next weekend. |
| Four years is the equivalent of the entire Ice Age in IT. | | | | Simple blips of social data, work documents and web |
| But Google and Microsoft are among other server | | | | pages are the stuff that Windows and Google |
| farm custodians who may have to ask Congress for | | | | credentials were built to protect. Not the latest results |
| forgiveness before the mandate becomes law. That's | | | | of your C.T. Scan, your prescription for anti-depressant |
| because they've poured billions into Internet-based | | | | medication or your physician's note revealing you have |
| patient medical record repositories that are completely | | | | a terminal illness. |
| unregulated while Congress is too busy arguing the | | | | But technology analyst Richard Moore counters that |
| details of reform to pay full attention to patient privacy. | | | | privacy and security concerns for services like |
| What's more, as far as anyone can tell, these free | | | | HealthVault and Google Health are overblown. Sure, he |
| subscriber-based services are exempt from the | | | | admits, a major security breach of either of those |
| Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act | | | | services would be a disaster. But the companies will |
| (HIPPA). This means all the information you, your | | | | use top-of-the-line security to protect data. And right |
| insurance company or your authorized physician(s) | | | | now the data is scattered around small physician |
| store on Google or Microsoft servers is a simple | | | | practices and hospitals, which have data breaches |
| keystroke away from becoming public information for | | | | regularly. "I am of the opinion that your records will |
| all the world to see. | | | | actually be safer and more secure than what is |
| Bill Gates, M.D. | | | | happening today," Moore said. |
| Google Health, one of the latest data integration | | | | |