Health Care Needs an Internet Revolution

HEALTH CARE NEEDS AN INTERNET REVOLUTION
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Bill Gates, Microsoft]
[Commentary] We live in an era that has seen our knowledge of medical science and treatment expand at a speed that is without precedent in human history. Today we can cure illnesses that used to be untreatable and prevent diseases that once seemed inevitable. We expect to live longer and remain active and productive as we get older. Ongoing progress in genetics and our understanding of the human genome puts us on the cusp of even more dramatic advances in the years ahead. But for all the progress we've made, our system for delivering medical care is clearly in crisis. At the heart of the problem is the fragmented nature of the way health information is created and collected. Technology is not a cure-all for the issues that plague the health-care system. But it can be a powerful catalyst for change, here in the U.S. and in countries around the globe where access to medical professionals is limited and where better availability of health-care information could help improve the lives of millions of people.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119154401245949675.html?mod=todays_us_op...
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* Your Health Data, Plugged In to the Web
Microsoft launched a free, ad-supported online health portal called HealthVault yesterday that allows people to upload their medical records to the Web and share the information with doctors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/04/AR200710...

* Prognosis is dicey for new Microsoft health record site
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-microsoft5oct05,1,206...