By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    safe and healthy company outings
    Five Essential Health and Safety Tips for Company Outings
    June 18, 2023
    View,Of,Niagara,Falls,In,Autumn
    Health Benefits of Taking a Vacation to Reduce Your Stress
    October 2, 2023
    Be Healthier and Reduce Your Risk of Injury
    5 Lifestyle Changes to Be Healthier and Reduce Your Risk of Injury
    January 31, 2024
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    How to Achieve Longevity: Infographic
    April 15, 2012
    Accountable Care Organizations: The Future of American Health Care?
    October 26, 2011
    CIN Special Report: Part II, Treatments Ready to Eradicate Pre-Cervical Cancer
    May 2, 2012
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Google Health is Dead – What Did We Learn About PHRs?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Medical Records > Google Health is Dead – What Did We Learn About PHRs?
eHealthMedical Records

Google Health is Dead – What Did We Learn About PHRs?

ShahidShah
ShahidShah
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

 

As I mentioned by way of the Wall Street Journal back at the end of March, Google Health was supposed to get less support under the new CEO. We learned today that “less support” meant that it would be retired on January 1, 2012 and eventually shut down on January 1, 2013. Basically this means that the grand experiment didn’t work out, but it was valiant and worthy try.

 

As I mentioned by way of the Wall Street Journal back at the end of March, Google Health was supposed to get less support under the new CEO. We learned today that “less support” meant that it would be retired on January 1, 2012 and eventually shut down on January 1, 2013. Basically this means that the grand experiment didn’t work out, but it was valiant and worthy try.

More Read

clinical trial recruitment
Online Marketing Strategies for Clinical Trial Recruitment
Here Come the 20-Somethings
mHealth Summit Conference 2011: Pre-Conference Thoughts
Using Smartphones to Check for Skin Cancer
10 Things Hospital Leadership Need to Know About Social Media and Marketing

The folks at Google raised the bar for PHRs and I for one was a fan; however,  if Google couldn’t make it work, does it mean that Personal Health Records (PHRs) in general aren’t worthwhile or won’t be successful? I don’t think so, but what we learned from the Google experiment is that there’s little or no demand from the general consumer to store their personal medical records — at least in numbers that would matter. Here’s what Google said in their retirement letter:

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.

PHRs managed and maintained by patients themselves has been sort of a holy grail for years — but no one has been able to figure out how to make enough money from them or keep the data accurate enough to make PHRs useful enough to clinicians. And, it’s not for a lack of trying; in fact, Microsoft’s got a nice offering (HealthVault) that’s still in good shape so far. But, it’s not clear how long even they can last without a sustainable business model. It’s not like Google didn’t have the money to continue the experiment — they just realized that there were not users in quantities high enough for them to be able to monetize it sometime in the future.

Why aren’t there enough users? There’s one key reason people don’t use something: because the value isn’t there — storing records are nice, but putting the records to some use is important and at least Google’s PHR didn’t show enough utility.

While PHRs haven’t caught the healthcare world by storm, their “Patient Portal” cousins are doing great. Unlike PHRs, which are usually managed and maintained by patients, “Patient Portals” are managed and maintained by a healthcare professional or provider organization — and usually allows for a major feature: messaging and private emails. What we’ve learned is that people aren’t that interested in managing their healthcare records,  they are more interested in engaging and communicating with their health professionals. Yes, shocker! People want more time with their physicians and don’t really care who manages their chart. :-)

Share with us what you’ve learned from Google Health’s demise. I welcome your comments on what you think.

TAGGED:EMRsGoogle health
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

technology in medical research
The Tools Helping Medical Researchers See the Full Picture
News Technology
August 3, 2025
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025

You Might also Like

Social Media

Nurses Share Insights into Social Media

April 16, 2012

What’s a Guy Like Me Doing at the Consumer Electronics Show, Anyway?

January 15, 2013
person-woman-hand-smartphone.jpg
Social MediaTechnology

Why Medical Marketers Shouldn’t Forget About Bing and Yahoo

June 15, 2016

Q and A: Addressing an Enormous Public Health Problem with a Simple Technology Solution

January 15, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?