Microsoft Launches Personal Health Information Site

I personally think this is a great idea.

It seems that Microsoft is giving the consumer total control

over the content and who gets it.

Electronic medical records are  a given in the next several years in hospital as well

as outpatient settings.

It is just simply more efficient.

      Margaret G, Jax Bch, FL

This scares the poop out of me, especially since I recently found out that one of my docs enters our conversations into his laptop, even if we're just gabbing about the family. No Way will I put anything on this new site.

Bill wears and medic alert bracelet and I wear a medic alert necklace. They both say, "see wallet" We both carry the details of our medical stuff in our wallet. All our docs and especially the ER ones, are delighted to have the info. they need.

I would caution everyone to think really hard, before you'd use the personal health site.

amen

I haven't visited the site yet, but I don't like it. 

After working 15 years in the software industry and a sales person for ecommerce when it was just starting back in the mid 90's, I find it very hard to believe our information will stay within our control.The more people (hits) a site determines the advertising rate. If there are no ads on that site, it's being underwritten by some other company that we may or may not be aware of.

Maybe I'm having one of my more paranoid days...

I would not use the Microsoft thing.  There are too many ways for the information to get into the wrong hands. 

However, after a ton of thought, I did start wearing a different kind of personal health device.  I got a flash drive style medic alert tag from a company called portable health profile.  It has a program that collects whatever info you want to enter and in an emergency can be plugged into anyone's computer and the information should come up without any program on the computer.  It can be password protected.

I chose to do this not because of bipolar, but because I have so many med allergies even I can't be sure I list them all.  That could be dangerous if I'm too ill to remember easily.  Even the program my doctor uses to track her visits with me doesn't have enough space for my allergies.

I feel fairly safe with this; it's not easy to lose when it's worn around my neck, it's pretty private, and it's easily accessible.

I, too, am a skeptic about this.  I can't help but think what employers and insurance companies would pay or do to get access to this very personal information.

It's funny you mention about the cop heads-up thing.  I recently challenged a parking ticket issued by the City & was a bit daunted when I got a phone call from a policeman (to discuss the ticket; they ended up waiving the fee) as opposed to a regular City employee & can't help but wonder if they had seen my police record showing that I had a psychotic, paranoid episode a couple yrs ago, which involved the police and an ER visit & thus the ticket issue was referred to a police officer.

Hey G.J.,

You can count me in on the numbers of people who are "paranoid" about this whole concept.  It is bad enough the way it is already, without giving people yet another way to find their way into our very private lives. 

I'm sure many of you can relate to the story of going to the hospital for chest pains or some kind of stomach anomaly, only to find yourselves being treated by a psychiatrist, thanks to the information that was in your chart.  Oh, no, it just isn't possible that a person with any kind of psychiatric history could be in the ER for anything else other than something psychiatric!?  Funny, how chest pains or tummy problems somehow get misconstrued to be psychiatric issues, once the ER staff find out about your history with mood or thought disorders.

No thank you, I say.  Our private information is already at high enough risk of exposure as it is.  This would appear to be yet another tool to make that information even more public, under the guise of "consumer control".

I am joining you on the "paranoid bandwagon", G.J.,

Kay

There is absolutely no way that I would participate in putting my personal medical information online anywhere. The past history of how bipolars have been treated just in case no one knows or remembers can be seen on this web site;

http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/sterilization.htm

and also on this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_sterilization

In China there is an issue of forced sterlization if you have a hereditary psychoses....in other words BIPOLAR OR SCHIZOPHRENIC or other mental issues that could be passed in the genetic makeup...there are reports of FORCED abortions also....these are not PARANOID feelings for us, it is the internal voice telling us that YES you best keep your personal medical information as personal as you can. I personally don't even like my therapists putting anything on her laptop about our sessions but am unable to change that for that is the way their office works. But so many people talk of how paranoria is ridiculous and not to fear this or that..i personally feel that fear or feeling is given to us for a reason..a GOOD one. To  put all of ones information out on an INTERNATIONAL level, regardless of Microsofts promises to me is just asking for issues.

 I am so with you on the paranoid thing over this...the more i have researched and read and studied (which is an obsession of mine to learn something new each day) I find discrimination beyond explaination toward bipolars...all I can say is if you DO decide to do this, be prepared for the reprecussions for there WILL be some, to that i have NO doubt. 

As we all know as soon as you are identified as a manic depressive or bipolar the tone/mood/tune of the doctors or whoever you are conversing with CHANGES ....they don't understand the illness, plain and simple, unless they have it they dont' get what we go through and nor do they care, again most focus on themSELVES and how it will affect THEM. This isn't something to help us, this is to ME something to IDENTIFY us and others with various illnesses. 

 I am so confused as to how anyone can see this as a positive thing. The government and the healthcare industry are literally stepping over the bounds of PRIVATE information.

 Just know this, that anything and i mean anything you put on the web is out there for any and all to see and read, regardless of how much microsoft assures you differently.

I am with you all the way on this G.J. all the way.....your not paranoid, your being discreet and SMART!!!

Sorry guys this is a real sore point for me for i live in a very very small town and trust me once ONE learns of your disorder it will spread like wildfire, not that it is anything to be ashamed of ...no no...not at all...but it is how you are treated AFTER people find out that makes the issue mute as to whether to tell others, post it on a health site, or whatever....discrimination LIVES and that is pitiful but it DOES and if you simply take time to read the history of how bipolars have been treated over the centuries, well, you'll see my point. Please all be careful, please listen to your gut on this one, i'd hate to see any of you come to any kind of grief over trying to make things better for yourself medically by utilizing something they "TELL" us is safe...please be aware, be educated on the past treatment of bps and please be safe ....I worry about us all sometimes, but perhaps that is part of MY paranoria...but uhm this time it is backed with FACTS so please please beware!!! THANK YOU GJ FOR POSTING THIS SO MUCH i have wanted to address the isssues i have here for a while but thought it would come across as "my illness" making me feel this way...well guys read for yourself at the websites i put on here or go to goggle and put in "forced sterilization of manic depressives" and see what comes up MILLIONS of hits....okay i've spouted enough but can only say i worry about us ALL. stay discreet is my theme....

Sincerely atthelake