Medical Informatics Engineering (MIE) has announced a collaborative relationship with Google Health.

Google Health, which was previewed to the healthcare IT community at the HIMSS08 Conference in Orlando last week by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, is currently being piloted at the Cleveland Clinic and is expected to be released to the public in the near future.

The Minimally InvasiveTM WebChart electronic health record portfolio from MIE will be fully integrated with Google Health, and enable consumers and physicians to share information electronically. MIE products are completely Web-based, giving physicians secure, anytime/anywhere access to patient records without significant up-front investment. In addition, WebChart is tailored to fit the workflow of each practice and each physician, minimizing practice upheaval.

"Google Health gives patients the ability to collect, store and manage their medical records online," explains MIE executive vice president Peter Norder. "As tech-savvy patients begin to actively use Google Health, they will quickly realize that most physicians still use paper-based medical records. Some patients will ask their physicians to adopt electronic health records systems that are fully interoperable with Google, or may even gravitate to physicians who have already done so. Physicians, in turn, will seek out solutions like WebChart that are affordable, flexible, accessible and interoperable."

MIE will integrate its EHR portfolio with Google Health so that consumers and physicians can share health information easily and securely. Physicians and their patients alike will benefit as the practice can access important information including medications, allergies, medical conditions and other health data from Google Health users if they grant access. Physicians can easily import this information into their WebChart EMR without interrupting practice workflow, and the information can contribute to improved coordination of care and reduced costs. Patients can also import new information provided by their physicians into their Google Health accounts, thereby building a comprehensive and secure view of their health that can be easily managed and shared with caregivers and other healthcare providers.