Microsoft Health Vault: Looks nice, doesn't do anything yet, but that too shall come
As I think about a consumer-focused health world where consumers are truly at the center of their health experience, I see a strong need for information to help them make decisions.
That infrastructure doesn’t yet exist today, and the PHR as an aggregator of data, such as Microsoft’s newly released HealthVault won’t change that. You’re not going to see a critical mass of people go through the trouble of assembling their medical records online, unless they think its going to do something for them. In that sense, it is somewhat comforting that the backers of HealthVault have deep pockets, as it will be a while before consumers move to this platform. What’s missing? The killer app.
In the PC wars, IBM compatible PCs became a standard, not because DOS was better than Apple’s operating system (it wasn’t) but because Lotus 1-2-3′s spreadsheet ran better than the VisiCalc spreadsheet on the Apple II– propelling IBM sales in the crucial business sector.
Until that killer app rises, with incentives aligned with purchasing parties, we’ll see adoption stay at the level of the current Electronic Medical Records systems– nice, but not yet Crossing the Chasm over into the mainstream.
Fortunately, as mentioned by RWJF‘s Lygeia Ricciardi, the business models of software companies work well with the creation of a platform that creates common data and standards.
Data contained in repositories such as HealthVault’s can form the bases of powerful tools that help individuals make good choices about health behaviors.
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over into the mainstream.
