Google likes to amass the world's knowledge. It usually gives it back to the public by way of search queries, maps, etc. But a new initiative from Google, announced at the Web 2.0 Summit, will put Google's data storage and organization tools to work for the medical industry. That's right--storing patient records.
This is something we've sort of been waiting for and heard about, as being code-named Weaver. Google's plans for a patient records storage system has been in discussions for some time now, but Google has announced that it will be available for use as soon as early next year. So far, Microsoft has already launched the HealthVault, which is a data storage system for patient records.
After the acquisition of Medstory earlier this year, Microsoft may be expanding on this system in the very near future. However, other startups like WebMD are already losing ground as a result of Google's announcement, with its shares dropping 14 percent today. As RevolutionHealth is another startup that was moving in a somewhat similar direction, it too may be facing troubled waters.