How will Microsoft's initiatives impact health care?

During a panel discussion at the recent Internet Caucus State of the Net Conference in Washington, Peter Neupert, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Health Solutions Group, also honed in on privacy and security.

"In order for us to think about how does our brand extend to being a custodian of people's private health information, we really had to think through the privacy issues, the security issues, the trust issues, and what were the means by which we could be an effective custodian to do that," Neupert maintained.

"And I think it comes down to some very straightforward principles, which is -- the consumer is in control. And in that regard, that's our approach."

Apparently putting technology where its mouth is, Microsoft is incorporating a number of security and privacy precautions into HealthVault, including a "minimal access" data model, to help make sure that information isn't read by anyone without the user's consent; logs and audit trails for keeping track of when a record is written, changed, or read; and encryption of all health care data, including backup data.

In entering this new market, though, Microsoft does face at least a couple of specific tests -- specifically, lack of experience in the health care industry, and issues around interoperability with both existing health care solutions and new ones that might be forthcoming from open source developers.

On paper, at least, Microsoft seems to be taking these factors into account, too. Like both IBM and Google, Microsoft is partnering with third-party software application vendors specializing in health care.

For example, the Xbox 360-based Cerner MyStation -- a recent collaborative effort between Microsoft, Cerner Corp., and Spectrum Health -- is meant to let "patients take an active role" in their health care, while at the same time gaining a "positive diversion" by playing video games, listening to music, or watching TV or movies.

In the enterprise arena, Microsoft last week unveiled a health care collaboration pact with SAP.

Also last week, Microsoft rolled out a "Be Well Fund" designed to fund research by health care providers in areas such as infectious disease prevention, heart rate monitor input and exercise, and pregnancy and parenting.

Several moves are under way on the interoperability aspect, too. For one thing, Microsoft has now released the HealthVault platform XML interface protocols under its Open Specification Promise. Also complete is an open source project involving an implementation of the HealthVault API wrapper for the Java development environment (Ms-PL) on Microsoft CodePlex.

Naturally, some consumers will resist the idea of Microsoft -- and quite possibly, any other company or government agency -- becoming "custodians" of their health care data. But given the other obstacles the company has to face to crack this market, user reluctance may be the least of its worries.