Google Health wasn't too big to fail

Mary Stevens, Editor, CMIO

When Google pulled the plug on its personal health record (PHR) service last week, it set off an interesting chain of reactions. Reports and punditry declared that PHRs were dead, PHRs never existed, Google Health was doomed from the beginning and Google Health was too far ahead of its time.

Even though the official word from Google’s blog was that the service generated a disappointing number of regular users and never gained the traction that the company had hoped it would, it’s probably safe to say Google Health had more users than any other PHR out there, and many of those users were chronic care patients.

Other health IT modalities will play an important role in a pair of diabetes management initiatives announced this week. The American Diabetes Association announced plans to work with Beacon Communities in New Orleans and Detroit to increase the use of IT in diabetes management. Second, the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville received a $300,000 grant to study the “Call to Health” model, which uses text messages, stress reduction and other techniques to help African-American women manage type 2 diabetes. The need for programs such as these is growing: Global analysis has shown that diabetes had afflicted 347 million people worldwide as of 2008, according to the study published online June 25 in the Lancet.

Both of these programs emphasize a team approach to care, such as a patient-centered medical home (PCMH). This care model is gaining traction, at least in some areas. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan now designates 2,500 Michigan physicians in roughly 770 practices as PCMH providers.

The outlook for accountable care organizations is less certain, according to a KPMG report. Web polls showed that 39 percent of the hospital and health system executives surveyed didn’t know their organization’s position on Medicare Shared Savings Program participation, and another 25 percent said their organization would not meet the Jan. 1, 2012 launch of the program under current proposed rules. The polls showed that stakeholders are leery of the ACO business model.

Sustainability was a hot topic at the National eHealth Collaborative roundtable presentation yesterday as well. A dozen leaders from operational HIEs around the country offered brief synopses of their HIEs’ framework, and the importance of having core competencies in change management and workflow re-engineering.

Does your organization use Google Health? Does it have an exit strategy? Let me know at mstevens@trimedmedia.com

Mary Stevens, Editor