Tech Policy Summit blog

Tech Execs Testify on Role of Small Businesses

It is National Small Business Week and the U.S. House Small Business Committee, chaired by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), held a hearing this morning on "The Role of Small Businesses in Stimulating the Economy."

Representatives from Amazon.com, Google and The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) were among those testifying, and we've included video clips of their testimony in the Media Vault.

In his prepared statement, Google's vice president of online sales and operations David Fischer explained how the company's online advertising services help entrepreneurs by enabling them to reach new customers affordably via AdWords and to sell ads on their own sites via AdSense (he said Google paid out $4.5 billion last year to AdSense partners). Of course, it's a symbiotic relationship that has worked out quite nicely for Google, and Mr. Fischer acknowledged that "much of Google's success is predicated on the success of our small business customers and partners."

CDT's Health Privacy Project

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) made a series of announcements today that signal its growing interest in the privacy challenges associated with electronic health data.

To start, CDT has annexed an organization called The Health Privacy Project and has named a new director, Deven McGraw, who will oversee the program within CDT. Under McGraw's direction, the project's charter will be to analyze pending e-health legislation and to develop proposals for addressing privacy concerns.

CDT will also partner with the Markle Foundation's Connecting for Health Collaborative to develop tools that promote sharing of e-health data in a secure and private manner. The two have already teamed up on a policy brief that calls for use of "core privacy principles" like transparency, limiting data to the specified purpose and allowing individuals control over their own information.

Pilot Testing Google Health

The news broke this morning that Google is launching a pilot project with a group of volunteers at the Cleveland Medical Center to test its Google Health service, which will allow patients to access their personal health records (PHRs) and related medical information online. It's been in development for well over a year and the announcement of the six-to-eight week pilot is an important milestone, though the service still isn't ready for prime time.

The Associated Press reports that Google's interest in managing PHRs is seen by the company as "a logical extension" because Internet users already turn to Google to research information about their health. According to this Media Vault video by Google, 65% of people have used the Internet to answer a health-related question and 66% of consumers looking for medical information online start by going to a search engine like Google.

But are those consumers ready to make the leap from searching for health info online to sharing their own medical histories?

Privacy advocates have raised concerns about protecting such sensitive data; the World Privacy Forum published a policy analysis and a consumer advisory yesterday warning the public to think twice before authorizing PHRs. Though not directly related to the Google Health project, the organization's reports point out the many privacy and security questions that will need to be answered by Google, Microsoft and others as they move further into the digital health business.

Update on Sciencedebate 2008

It's been a month since we first wrote about our support for Sciencedebate 2008, the grassroots campaign to hold a presidential debate focused on science and technology issues.

Since then, the organizers have set a date and location (April 18th at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia), invited the candidates (no takers yet) and picked up key endorsements by the Council on Competitiveness, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and others.

The momentum is there. But will that be enough to convince the candidates to face off in a science and technology-focused debate?

Over the weekend, AAAS hosted what might be considered a dry run when it invited the candidates' science and technology advisors to debate each other at the organization's annual meeting in Boston. None of the Republican candidates' campaigns accepted the invite, which left two surrogates for Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

Clinton advisor Thomas Kalil, once President Bill Clinton's deputy assisitant for technology and economic policy, and Alec Ross, vice president of external affairs for One Economy Corporation and an advisor to Sen. Obama outlined their candidates' positions on digital health, funding for research and cleantech but were "noncommittal" about the April debate. (Note: Mr. Ross will be among the speakers at Tech Policy Summit next month).

Microsoft Launches HealthVault

Microsoft launched a new Web site today designed to offer consumers a free service for organizing and sharing their personal healthcare information such as prescriptions and lab results. The HealthVault site, which is in beta, also includes a healthcare search engine and a "Connection Center" where users can upload data from devices like blood glucose monitors (provided the devices are made by HealthVault partners).

According to the Associated Press, "Sean Nolan, chief architect of the company's two-year-old Health Solutions group, characterized this 'beta' launch of HealthVault as an early step into a difficult industry." Among the not-insignificant challenges facing companies like Microsoft and Google that are interested in e-health programs are concerns about the privacy and the reality that few medical offices today store healthcare data electronically. To learn more, check out the AP report here -- or visit HealthVault.com.

Google, Microsoft and Your Digital Health

In today's New York Times, Steve Lohr writes about how tech titans Google and Microsoft hope to revolutionize the healthcare industry by digitizing patient records and medical information so consumers can take a more active role in managing their healthcare. Entering the consumer healthcare market is a major undertaking, especially considering that only about 20 percent of U.S. patient records today are available electronically. There are also privacy concerns and regulatory hurdles to overcome. Still, according to Lohr, "if the efforts of the two big companies gain momentum over time, that promises to accelerate a shift in power to consumers in health care, just as Internet technology has done in other industries."

So what does each company have up its proverbial sleeve? While exact details of their plans are still under wraps, the Times article provides these hints:

• Google Health, which is expected to debut some time in 2008, will include a "health profile" with information on patient medications and conditions; a "health guide" with suggested treatments, drug interactions, etc.; reminders for prescription refills and doctor appointments and a directory of nearby doctors.
• Microsoft, which already develops software that is used in doctors' offices and hospitals, is expected to unveil consumer products later this year that include software and Web-based services that allow people to find and manage healthcare info on their computer and other digital devices like cellphones.