Electronic Health Record Competition

Microsoft and Google joined the healthcare game last month, when both companies introduced versions of electronic health records. Micrsoft, partnering with Covisint, launched HealthVault, a “personal health technology platform” on Feb. 27; just one day later Google launched Google Health, which allows users to post medical information and to have physicians post information too.

Tech companies big and small have been scrambling for years to fill the niche in America’s $20 billion electronic health-record industry. Smaller tech companies have also gained victories in the past months, including Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. in Hawaii and recently, eClinicalWorks in NYC.

What is the future? Well, with all three presidential candidates pushing for increased use of technology in healthcare, this market will only continue to grow in the coming years. The question is whether this market will remain competitive, or if any one company will emerge as the leader.

Learn more about government initiatives in Health Information Technology here: http://www.hhs.gov/healthit/

CEO Eric Schmidt talks about Google’s healthcare related strategies at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Orlando, Florida:

-Dina Shapiro