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Tag: Google Health

  • Streams, Google’s UK Clinician App, a Casualty of Its Defunct Health Division

    Streams, Google’s UK Clinician App, a Casualty of Its Defunct Health Division

    Google is shutting down Streams, a clinician support app used in the UK, the latest fallout of Google’s decision to end its Health Division.

    Google announced last week that it was shutting down its Health Division, the latest in a long string of products, platforms and services the company promises will change the world, only to unceremoniously kill them off later. App Maker, Chromebook Pixel, Game Builder, Google Hangouts, Google Jump, Google Play Music and Google+ are just a few of the examples — trust us, there’s many, many more.

    According to TechCrunch, Streams is in the process of being discontinued, despite at least one UK National Health Service (NHS) Trust still using it in its hospitals. When it was first released, a number of NHS Trusts adopted the app, although most have since stopped using it. It’s not clear whether their abandoning it caused Google to rethink its plans, or if a lack of serious effort and commitment on Google’s part prompted them to move away from it.

    Either way, the company has such a reputation for this behavior, that it recently had to reassure its cloud customers it wouldn’t do the same to them. As the third largest cloud provider, Google has built a major business providing cloud services to countless companies, companies that want to know a critical feature they rely on won’t suddenly be killed off on a whim. As a result, Google announced the release of Enterprise APIs in an effort to put any concern to rest.

    It’s a safe bet, even with Enterprise APIs, the shuttering of an entire division is going to make some of Google’s customers very nervous.

  • Google Disbanding Its Health Division, Dr. David Feinberg Leaving

    Google Disbanding Its Health Division, Dr. David Feinberg Leaving

    Google is disbanding its health division, following a string of setbacks and criticism.

    Google Health is one of the company’s newer initiatives, quickly reaching 500 employees in early 2020. Despite its obvious importance to the company, Google found itself mired in controversy when it was discovered the company had partnered with Ascension to collect health data on millions of Americans. The program, Project Nightingale, drew scrutiny from lawmakers concerned about Google having access to even more private consumer data.

    It appears the company is throwing in the tool on Google Health altogether, with plans to disband it and scatter its components across the company, according to a memo seen by Business Insider.

    As part of its disbanding, Google Health chief Dr. David Feinberg will be leaving effective September 1. Medical records company Cerner announced Feinberg will become the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1.

  • Google Health Now Has 500 Employees

    Google Health Now Has 500 Employees

    Google Health, the company’s latest initiative, now has some 500 employees, according to CNBC.

    Google has a long, and not always successful, history in the health field. The company’s first “Google Health” initiative was in 2006 and failed to make headway, leading the company to shutter it. This latest endeavor, however, seems to be meeting with far more success.

    According to the report, the new team is headquartered in Palo Alto offices that were formerly used by the Nest team. The team is led by David Feinberg, a relative newcomer to Google, having joined the company in 2019. The number of people working in the Google Health division is a testament to how important the new business is to Google, especially as it continues to develop revenue streams aside from its core search business.

    In spite of Google Health’s importance to the company, Google will need to navigate tricky waters to take full advantage of the new business. The company has recently come under scrutiny for its Project Nightingale, a partnership with healthcare group Ascension to collect data on millions of American patients. Revelations about the program renewed concerns and discussion about how much access Google should have in the day-to-day lives of Americans and whether it already had too much.

    Provided Google can navigate the regulatory and privacy concerns surrounding its health initiatives, Google Health has the potential to become a critical part of the company’s future.

  • Google Health Is Almost Officially Dead

    Google launched Google Health in 2008. It was an ambitious project that perhaps got more up close and personal with users’ identities than any other Google service to date. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t a ton of people who wanted to manage their health records with Google, and Google ultimately decided to shut down the service.

    In June of 2011, Google announced that it would shut down Google Health (along with PowerMeter). “Both were based on the idea that with more and better information, people can make smarter choices, whether in regard to managing personal health and wellness, or saving money and conserving energy at home. While they didn’t scale as we had hoped, we believe they did highlight the importance of access to information in areas where it’s traditionally been difficult,” the company said at the time.

    Google Health Data

    The company also said users would be able to download their data from Google Health through January 1, 2013. Now, here we are, and that’s only a couple weeks away. Google has been kind enough to email users to let them know that time is running out. The company is sending around an email with the subject line: “Important Google Health service announcement – action required”.

    Here’s what it says:

    This is an important Google Health service announcement. You are receiving this email because you have an active Google Health account.

    As we announced in June, 2011, the Google Health service will be discontinued as of January 1, 2013. After that date, any remaining data in your Google Health account will be permanently deleted, and you will no longer be able to access or download any data from Google Health.

    If you want to keep using the data you have stored in Google Health, you will need to take action before December 31st, 2012 to download it or transfer it to another online health service. We’ve made this easy for you. All you have to do is:
    – go to the Google Health site at https://health.google.com
    – log in with your Google account
    – follow the on-screen instructions to download your information and close your Google Health account.
    For more information, see our help center article at http://www.google.com/support/health/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1347989

    Note that, if you log in to Google Health, and are not given an option to download your data, it means that you do not have any data stored in Google Health and you do not need to do anything more.

    If you have not retrieved your Google Health data by January 1, 2013, it will be removed from Google’s systems and permanently and irrevocably deleted. Google will be unable to recover any Google Health data for any user after this date.

    For more details on the discontinuation of Google Health, see our blog post at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/update-on-google-health-and-google.html, and see answers to frequently-asked questions at http://www.google.com/intl/en/health/faq.html.

    Note: you will continue to receive periodic service announcements as long as you have an active Google Health account. If you do not wish to receive further announcements, simply go to https://health.google.com and follow the process to download your data (if desired) and delete your Health account.

    Thank you for your support and use of Google Health.

    The Google Health Team

    While not quite related, Google is now showing Knowledge Graph results for medication info.

  • What’s Eating Google [Infographic]

    What’s Eating Google [Infographic]

    According to this next infographic from medicalsupplimentalinsurance.com, Google is going to great lengths to make sure their employees are well fed, informed, and healthy consumers of good food products. This graphic is loaded with interesting facts about how people choose what they eat and how Google’s HR department is taking advantage of analytics to help supply them with better choices.

    For starters, Google spends $72 million on supplying their employees with food every year. That’s really cool, I wish I had that luxury! Green code cards mean low-fat, low-calorie food. Red tags indicate high-fat, high-calorie snacks. That must mean they care. Nice!

    Google makes use of fun facts like, people drink more water when it’s placed at eye level in the refrigerator, or people eat less when plates are smaller. It sounds kind of crazy, but these are true analytics and Google is using them to help their employees make healthier choices. I think it’s great to see an employer so invested in the health and well being of their employees.

    Take a look it this graphic. Like I said, it seems ridiculous, but I think you’ll find it interesting:

    (image)

  • Google Health: Now’s The Time To Get Your Data

    Google Health: Now’s The Time To Get Your Data

    Google just announced that it’s shutting down a handful of its offerings. Back in June, Google announced that it would be shutting down Google Health the first of the new year.

    Now, Google is sending a friendly reminder out to users. Here’s the email:

    This is an important Google Health service announcement. You are receiving this email because you have an active Google Health account.

    As we announced earlier this year, the Google Health service will be discontinued as of January 1, 2012. After that date, you will no longer be able to access Google Health, and 3rd-party services that you have linked to your Google Health profile(s) will no longer be able to send data to or receive data from those profile(s).

    If you want to keep using the data you have stored in Google Health, we strongly recommend that you take action before the end of the year to download it or transfer it to another online health service. We’ve made this easy for you. All you have to do is:

    – go to the Google Health site at https://health.google.com
    – log in with your Google account
    – click on the link in the yellow bar at the top of your screen to start the process of downloading your information and closing your Google Health account.
    For more information, see our help center article at http://www.google.com/support/health/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1347989

    If you have not retrieved your Google Health data before January 1, 2012, it will remain available for download from https://health.google.com for an additional year, through January 1, 2013. Please note that during this period, functionality will be limited to downloading your data in ZIP format only and deleting your Google Health account; you will no longer be able to view, enter, edit, or print data. We may also find it necessary to limit or discontinue the ability to automatically transfer a copy of your profile to another health service, based on technical considerations.

    For more details on the discontinuation of Google Health, see our blog post at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/update-on-google-health-and-google.html, and see answers to frequently-asked questions at http://www.google.com/intl/en/health/faq.html.

    Note: you will continue to receive periodic service announcements as long as you have an active Google Health account. If you do not wish to receive further announcements, simply go to https://health.google.com and follow the process to download your data (if desired) and delete your Health account.

    Thank you for your support and use of Google Health.

    The Google Health Team

    Were you a Google Health user? What is your plan going forward?

  • Microsoft Looks to Scoop Up Health Data Following Shut Down of Google Health

    Microsoft just announced that Google Health users can transfer their data to Microsoft HealthVault. This can be done with Direct Project messaging protocols established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, the company says.

    HealthVault lets users store and transfer info between various health-related applications, devices, and services.

    Google announced last month that it would discontinuing Google Health (as well as PowerMeter) as of January 1. “Both were based on the idea that with more and better information, people can make smarter choices, whether in regard to managing personal health and wellness, or saving money and conserving energy at home. While they didn’t scale as we had hoped, we believe they did highlight the importance of access to information in areas where it’s traditionally been difficult,” Google said at the time.

    As Microsoft and Google compete in many areas of tech, Microsoft is clearly using the discontinuation of a Google service to show it has a leg up in this area.

    “Google has been an important ally in providing customers with access to their data and tools to better manage care online,” said Nate McLemore, general manager, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. “Microsoft continues to advance the HealthVault platform to increase its value to consumers — by adding important features, such as support for mobile devices, and by collaborating with hundreds of health organizations, including the American Cancer Society,American Heart Association and CVS Pharmacy — to deliver robust health and wellness applications that connect to HealthVault.”

    There are about 300 apps connected to the HealthVault platform to help users manage various conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, pregnancy, etc. According to MIcrosoft, it’s also connected with over 70 devices, including blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, weight scales, pedometers, and peak flow meters.

    After January 1, Google Health users will no longer be able to view, enter or edit any of their data stored in Google Health, though they will be able to download the data stored in various formats through January 1, 2013.

  • Google Pulls Plug on Health, PowerMeter

    Google Pulls Plug on Health, PowerMeter

    Google announced that it’s retiring Google Health and Google PowerMeter on January 1 and September 16, respectively.

    “Both were based on the idea that with more and better information, people can make smarter choices, whether in regard to managing personal health and wellness, or saving money and conserving energy at home. While they didn’t scale as we had hoped, we believe they did highlight the importance of access to information in areas where it’s traditionally been difficult,” the company says.

    Google Health was designed to “organize, track, monitor, and act on” health info. It was introduced in 2006. I’m not sure how many people were using it, but it was nice of Google to let people add the details about their personal health, and then shut down the service so they can no longer use it.

    Users will still be able to download their data through January 1, 2013, a year after the service is retired. Google says in the FAQ that it will delete user data after January 2, 2013. How long after isn’t specified, but they give you plenty of info about how to get your data off of Google Health.

    Google announced PowerMeter in early 2009. It was launched as a Google.org (Google’s philanthropic arm) project aimed at “raising awareness about the importance of giving people access to data surrounding their energy usage.”

    “Since our launch, there’s been more attention given to this notion of people easily accessing their energy data,” says Google. “The installation of smart meters and other home energy devices is picking up steam, and states like California and Texas are moving forward to finalize policies and programs in this area.”

    “We’re pleased that PowerMeter has helped demonstrate the importance of this access and created something of a model,” the company adds. “However, our efforts have not scaled as quickly as we would like, so we are retiring the service.”

    Again, Google says it is making it easy to download your data. You can do so by logging into your account and going to “Account Settings,” where you can export to a CSV file.

    More details about the end of these services here.

  • Google Health Gets More Useful, More Personalized

    Google has announced a new design and some new features for Google Health. The company says this comes as the result of feedback from users who want easier data tracking and more personalization. 

    Within the redesign is a new dashboard and what Google says are better ways to focus on wellness goals. "So our new re-design better organizes your medical information, while creating a more welcoming place to set goals for yourself and check in daily on your progress," explains Senior Product Manager Aaron Brown. "For example, you might want to set a goal around walking more each day or to lower your cholesterol over time. With our new design, you can easily monitor your path to success with a visual graph that shows your progress towards your personalized goal. You can even create custom trackers for other things that you want to monitor like daily sleep, exercise, pregnancy or even how many cups of coffee you drink a day."

    Google Health Gets Makeover

    Google has also integrated with new partners like Fitbit and CardioTrainer so users can collect data for tracking progress. "In the two weeks since CardioTrainer’s integration went live, CardioTrainer developer WorkSmart Labs reports that users have already uploaded more than 150,000 workouts to Google Health, where they can more easily view, track and set goals around their workouts and monitor them along with other health and wellness information," says Brown. 

    The new design also enables users to take notes and keep journals on the progress of their health conditions or medications. 

    In addition to all of this there are no more personalized content links, so users should be able to find more helpful information related to specific conditions, medications or lab results that relate to them. 

    Meanwhile, Google is doing more to expand its reach into healthcare facilities. Google has formed partnerships most recently, with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Sharp HealthCare.

    That doesn’t include the white spaces work Google is doing. Yesterday, the company announced a partnership with the Hocking Valley Community Hospital in Logan, Ohio on the white spaces broadband deployment.

    User Experience Researcher Hendrik Mueller has more about the new Google Health design here.

  • Bathroom Scale Now Connects To Google Health

    We know, we know: many individuals will view this as an invasion of privacy, or at least a potential cause for embarrassment.  Still, you may find it interesting to learn that a bathroom scale is now able to inform Google Health (along with users’ Twitter followers) of a person’s weight.

    No one’s kidding around here.  According to an official press release, "[T]he Withings WiFi Body Scale can provide updates to a user’s Google Health profile wirelessly in real-time using its built-in WiFi connection. . . .  [T]he scale will automatically update the user’s weight and fat mass to their Google Health profile."

    As for the Twitter integration (which isn’t enabled by default), that’s actually been in effect since November.  It just seemed worth mentioning.

    Now, for the ramifications.  The Withings scale costs a somewhat pricey $159, so this development isn’t likely to have any big effect on everyday life.  Still, since it’s not unaffordable, doctors who like the idea of Google Health may start recommending the scale to patients, giving it real traction.

    From there, the price of the tech would almost certainly go down, and more models would come out, leading to a greater market share.

    Or not.  Internet-connected ovens, washers, and dryers haven’t been overly successful, and there’s no question that the Withings WiFi Body Scale would take a lot more getting used to.

    Related Articles:

    > Google Wants To Save Your Life (Or Help End It)

    > Google, Microsoft Endorse Declaration Of Health Rights Data

    > Google Reaccused Of Lobbying Against Privacy Provisions