What Happened to Google Health?

Google’s recent announcement that it was shutting down Google Health has left people wondering about the future of personal health records (PHRs) and the degree of interest among wary consumers in managing their health on the level that a service like Google Health would allow. Sorting through Google’s announcement, as well as several blog posts and articles, it seems that Google’s expectations for the service simply did not align with the still-emerging interest in a service that was not as well-defined as it needed to be to succeed.

• PHRs are a niche product. According to Google, "There has been adoption among certain groups of users like tech-savvy patients and their caregivers, and more recently fitness and wellness enthusiasts. But we haven’t found a way to translate that limited usage into widespread adoption in the daily health routines of millions of people."


• Google has other priorities. Google is a large public company. Good or bad, Wall Street backing brings high visibility and even higher expectations for every venture the company launches. Google has big plans for social media with Google +. Smaller Google-owned brands like Picasa and Blogger will be phased out as these platforms are integrated under the Google+ umbrella. Google Health doesn’t fit into these plans.


• Consumers interested in PHRs need receptive healthcare providers. When a new Rx product is launched, physicians are hesitant to prescribe it until they have developed a level of comfort with the benefits and any potential risks. The same holds true for PHRs. HCPs are adapting to growing cost and access pressures and have not had much exposure or experience with PHRs. Without the support of a physician, consumers are unlikely to adopt PHRs.


• PHRs are competing for attention and resources with electronic health records (EHRs). The electronic health record (EHR) is a longitudinal record of patient information that is designed to automate and streamline the workflow for everyone involved in the delivery of healthcare. While PHRs are a very logical extension of this platform, the adoption and integration of EHRs into practice is the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Once HCPs are comfortable with EHRs, the personal platform will take off. Look for more on EHRs in an upcoming blog post.


• Physician reimbursement is based on face-to-face visits. In addition to a rapidly changing environment, doctors are likely recognizing that their compensation is often based only on office visits. While many acknowledge that over half of the time they spend on interactions does not need to be person, the real potential of PHRs will not be realized until there is an appropriate reimbursement model.

There is unanimous agreement that empowering consumers to play a greater role in managing their health is a smart idea. The key for personal health records will be building critical mass of acceptance among both consumers and providers. That will require some additional strategies that are currently absent among the current options that are available:

• A clear value proposition for consumers. In order to move along the adoption curve from early adopters into the mainstream, consumers have to recognize relevant benefits. The idea of a Personal Health Record as shiny, new object for the technologically savvy consumer will not be enough to gain acceptance.


• A critical mass of receptive physicians. This will require a value proposition that emphasizes clear benefits to the physician and his/her patients. Wrap that value proposition in a solid education and promotion campaign to engage physicians and watch it go.


• Make it simple. Several articles on Google Health have pointed to the lack of integration between PHRs and EHRs as an obstacle. While it would be a valuable benefit to have a PHR update automatically, it shouldn’t be an obstacle. Look no further than the rapid adoption of iPads and other mobile technology among HCPs to understand the appeal of simplicity. In this era of the cloud, integration should be a given and not a concern to the consumer or physician. There are already iPad-based EHR platforms – check out Dr. Chrono – so an integrated PHR/EHR platform can’t be far behind.


• Partnerships with providers and payors. Why not tap the resources of large HMOs and managed care organizations to reach a wide audience? Providing endorsements and perhaps access to these tools would go a long way towards making the benefits of PHRs relevant to consumers. It might also be possible to offer reduced premiums, copays or deductibles to patients who use PHRs. Some payors are already using these incentives to encourage patients to enroll in disease management and wellness programs.


• Outcome-based research: Imagine the impact of data suggesting that consumers using PHRs required less medication, had fewer, shorter hospital stays or were able to communicate more effectively with their doctors. The accompanying surge in demand might overwhelm the existing server capacity! With the increased interest in outcomes that is now taking hold, this approach would certainly find a receptive audience.

As marketers, any resource that can help consumers make smart, well-informed choices about wellness and healthcare is worth exploring. Imagine being able to integrate medication reminders and symptom trackers or links to relevant disease education and management resources into a PHR.

Google Health was a good idea that was very likely ahead of its time. Its only flaw was offered by a company that may not have had the luxury of investing more time and capital. There are other PHR platforms out there, including Microsoft’s Health Vault and Cerner Health that have expressed their commitment to the PHR in the wake of Google’s announcement. Both have reached out to Google Health users with information on how to transfer their records to other platforms. Cerner is an established player in the electronic health record field, which will be valuable. We hope that both continue to evolve and grow. We also hope that consumers, payors and providers will soon recognize the meaningful benefits that PHRs can provide.

MBlog - Patients and Health Care Providers