Microsoft has entered into an agreement with the Social Security Administration to test the use of Microsoft's HealthVault application in the SSA disability determination process.
Microsoft and the SSA will develop a technical prototype that will facilitate the delivery of health information to the SSA and the National Health Information Network (NHIN).
Microsoft will also collaborate with the agency to study existing personal health record standards, gaps in those standards and options for filling those gaps.
"People's health information is often decentralized and isolated, existing only in filing cabinets and a multitude of disconnected servers," said Carl Buising, MD, executive director of U.S. Public Sector Health Technology at Microsoft. "It is difficult for individuals and their families to manage and share health information productively or to navigate online and offline health resources efficiently and accurately. With patient approval and the use of the HealthVault personal health application platform, we can hopefully simplify and speed the transmission of key health information needed by the SSA for disability determination, resulting in more rapid benefits determination."
Microsoft executives describe HealthVault as an open platform designed to put people in control of their health information. It provides a security-and privacy-enhanced foundation on which individuals can store and exchange their personal health information, from dozens of health devices and numerous sources of health information such as provider electronic health records. By granting access to the Social Security Administration to relevant information stored within their HealthVault record, individuals can accelerate the benefits determination process.
The SSA's use of HealthVault in its disability determination process continues the momentum of federal agencies looking at innovative ways to improve care and streamline health record keeping for millions of citizens, such as with the Military Health System's MiCare Personal Health Record project, supported by both Microsoft and Google.
