Looking to encourage adoption of personal health records Microsoft (News - Alert) Corp. has announced a strategic collaboration with RelayHealth, McKesson Corp.’s connectivity business. With this collaboration, Microsoft is looking to accelerate and improve the relationship between doctors and patients.

 

With RelayHealth’s core services, schedule healthcare appointments online, request prescription refills, pay bills, obtain results and even visit their doctor online using security-enhanced WebVisit consultations for non-urgent care. Allowing people to collect, store and share health information with family members and participating healthcare providers, HealthVault acts as a consumer health platform.

 

The physicians using RelayHealth’s Software as a Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) platform will now get the technology to facilitate enhanced online patient service and communications with HealthVault. Using a Web browser as the initial step toward clinical automation of their practice, physicians can easily employ the RelayHealth service, which includes electronic prescribing. The service is also designed to integrate with electronic medical record systems already in use. Patients will now have a combined solution that provides them an online interaction with their personal physician and access to their personal health information.

 

With this partnership, Microsoft and RelayHealth will make it easier for consumers and doctors to exchange information that is a part of the everyday lives. They can perform functions such as receiving lab results ordering and filling prescriptions, and other important exchanges that impact the health and well-being. Microsoft believes that this partnership is a big step toward engaging people in their health decisions and ultimately improving the quality of patient care by using the Internet to better connect patients and providers.

 

“Until now, the ability for consumers to access and share appropriate health information online has not been possible, and as a result, personal health records (PHRs) have not been broadly adopted or consistently used,” said Pamela Pure, president of McKesson Technology Solutions (News - Alert). “Our relationship with Microsoft can change that. HealthVault offers consumers a convenient and accessible way to store and manage their healthcare and wellness data in one central place. The RelayHealth network then connects the consumer’s portfolio of information with the care provider and unifies the management of the personal health record.”