Microsoft and Mayo Clinic Team Up on EHRs

New online service offered by Microsoft and the Mayo Clinic hopes to elbow into the electronic health records fray with interactive features.

Despite the number of companies already providing online access to electronic health records, Microsoft wants in, too. It paired up with the Mayo Clinic to launch the Mayo Clinic Health Manager. The new service is a "privacy- and security-enhanced free online application that provides people with a place to store medical information and receive real-time individualized health guidance and recommendations based on the clinical expertise of Mayo Clinic."

Both companies point out that the ability to interact directly with the Mayo Clinic gives it a unique and competitive edge compared to some other services. They note that it can provide end users with customized recommendations that can help them to better manage their health.

Users can store their information from a wide range of sources, such as from their insurance providers, care givers, pharmacies and employers. They will be able to upload information from certain medical devices, such as blood glucose managers and share that information with whomever they choose. In addition to managing their own healthcare, users can organize health records for multiple family members. All of the information can be accessed via the Web.

The first version of this service will target some specific health issues, including pediatric wellness, immunizations, adult wellness, pregnancy, and asthma. Microsoft and the Mayo Clinic will roll out additional features--such as tools to manage type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure--over the coming months.

In a prepared statement, Sidna Tulledge-Scheitel, MD, a primary care physician at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester and medical director of Mayo Clinic Global Products and Services, said, "As a physician, I truly appreciate when my patients are actively engaged and informed about their health. Mayo Clinic Health Manager can help patients share information more easily with their doctors and manage their own health better between office visits."

Mayo Clinic Health Manager is one more tool that consumers and healthcare providers alike can use to share and maintain information.