Tools for Eldercare

A number of people have been asking me about starting a Personal Health Record(PHR) with Google Health, Microsoft Vault, or other free tools.  The question eventually cycles around to, "Why would I pay for a PHR when I can get one for free?"

Good question.

Of course, the answer is as old as the health care business itself.  "There's no such thing as a free lunch" ... or even a free PHR.  It's simply a matter of what you are willing to trade for the service. 

If you build your own PHR you have to take extra time to build, maintain, and even think through all the necessary information to collect.  Likely you have to type everything by hand rather than pulling from medical records, pharmacy records, or other sources of ready data.  What you are "paying" is your time and what tools you decide to use.

I the case of Google Health of Vault you are "paying" with your personal information.  In particular, detailed information about your medical conditions, treatments, and health situation.  If you are caring for aging parents you are trading their information.  What you get in return is the result of hundreds of thousands of dollars of development and though.

But, where did all the development money come from?  Where does the money come from to pay for the computers, bandwidth, and support staff?  It comes from advertising dollars aimed directly at you, your parents, or you as a caregiver.  These advertisers love the idea of being able to get directly at you and the health problems you or your parents face.  Not all bad, really... but no so good either.

The other model of course is to pay for a PHR application yourself and eliminate the need for a "third party payer".  In this case, of course, you are paying with an annual or monthly access fee.  This is also true if you are using a geriatric care manager or other provider of eldercare services who is using a system on your behalf.

There isn't a right answer.  You simply have to evaluate the trade off between your time, your private health information, or your money.