[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":116,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"Tech giant Google continues to face criticism for the company\u2019s reported efforts to obtain the health records of millions of Americans without their awareness or consent.A Wall Street Journal<\/i> article<\/a> published on Saturday, entitled \u201cInside Google\u2019s Quest for Millions of Medical Records,\u201d reported how the vendor has struck deals with some of the largest U.S. healthcare providers as part of a concerted effort gain access to troves of patient data.\u201cIn just a few years, the company has achieved the ability to view or analyze tens of millions of patient health records in at least three-quarters of U.S. states, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of contractual agreements,\u201d states Saturday\u2019s WSJ piece.\u201cIn certain instances, the deals allow Google to access personally identifiable health information without the knowledge of patients or doctors,\u201d according to the story. \u201cThe company can review complete health records, including names, dates of birth, medications and other ailments, according to people familiar with the deals.\u201dHowever, in a written statement, a Google spokesperson denied the WSJ\u2019s allegations.\u201cClaiming that Google has access to millions of health records is highly misleading,\u201d the spokesperson insisted. \u201cHealthcare customers own their data, and we can only process it according to their instructions.\u201dNonetheless, according to Saturday\u2019s WSJ article, about a year ago Google attempted to gain access to 250 million health records from healthcare IT vendor Cerner.\u201cGoogle offered health-data company Cerner Corp. an unusually rich proposal,\u201d reports the WSJ story. \u201cGoogle dispatched former chief executive Eric Schmidt to personally pitch Cerner over several phone calls and offered around $250 million in discounts and incentives, people familiar with the matter say.\u201dThe piece details how Schmidt\u2019s overtures were in response to Cerner \u201cinterviewing Silicon Valley giants to pick a storage provider for 250 million health records, one of the largest collections of U.S. patient data.\u201d However, the WSJ noted that ultimately Cerner struck a storage deal with Amazon, not Google. Cerner was not immediately available for comment. Still, an earlier WSJ article<\/a> published on November 11, 2019, detailed Project Nightingale\u2014a business partnership that began in secret last year\u2014in which Google has been reportedly developing and managing the infrastructure of healthcare provider Ascension.In response to that WSJ piece, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote a letter<\/a> to Google demanding that the tech giant provide answers to 17 questions about how such a vast amount of private, personal health data was surreptitiously collected\u2014as well as how the company plans to use it.\u201cWe write with concern over reports that Ascension has entered into a partnership that provides Google with the health records of tens of millions of Americans without their awareness or consent,\u201d stated the senators\u2019 letter. \u201cHealth information and records of medical care are exceptionally sensitive information that, when mishandled, expose patients to embarrassment, discrimination, exploitation, and other harms. Based on prior privacy violations and security failures from the company, we have substantial concerns about how Google will handle patient data and use health records for other purposes.\u201dThe senators also warned that \u201creports of Google\u2019s collection of personal health data raise additional red flags in light of recent news that Google is attempting to acquire Fitbit\u201d while charging that \u201caccess to tens of millions of patient records provides Google with an immense resource to build artificial intelligence systems and other tools that could be used elsewhere in the health sector and advertising markets.\u201dHowever, a Google spokesperson defended the vendor\u2019s business practices in targeting the healthcare industry. \u201cMany other companies pursue similar business models of selling compute power and cloud storage\u2014or building custom technology solutions\u2014for healthcare providers,\u201d noted the Google spokesperson. \u201cWe\u2019re bound by our terms of service, as well as regulations and signed agreements with customers, to not use PHI (protected patient health information) for purposes beyond those permitted by our customers and the law. This includes not using any PHI to target ads.\u201d","saveContent":"Tech giant Google continues to face criticism for the company\u2019s reported efforts to obtain the health records of millions of Americans without their awareness or consent.A Wall Street Journal<\/i> article<\/a> published on Saturday, entitled \u201cInside Google\u2019s Quest for Millions of Medical Records,\u201d reported how the vendor has struck deals with some of the largest U.S. healthcare providers as part of a concerted effort gain access to troves of patient data.\u201cIn just a few years, the company has achieved the ability to view or analyze tens of millions of patient health records in at least three-quarters of U.S. states, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of contractual agreements,\u201d states Saturday\u2019s WSJ piece.\u201cIn certain instances, the deals allow Google to access personally identifiable health information without the knowledge of patients or doctors,\u201d according to the story. \u201cThe company can review complete health records, including names, dates of birth, medications and other ailments, according to people familiar with the deals.\u201dHowever, in a written statement, a Google spokesperson denied the WSJ\u2019s allegations.\u201cClaiming that Google has access to millions of health records is highly misleading,\u201d the spokesperson insisted. \u201cHealthcare customers own their data, and we can only process it according to their instructions.\u201dNonetheless, according to Saturday\u2019s WSJ article, about a year ago Google attempted to gain access to 250 million health records from healthcare IT vendor Cerner.\u201cGoogle offered health-data company Cerner Corp. an unusually rich proposal,\u201d reports the WSJ story. \u201cGoogle dispatched former chief executive Eric Schmidt to personally pitch Cerner over several phone calls and offered around $250 million in discounts and incentives, people familiar with the matter say.\u201dThe piece details how Schmidt\u2019s overtures were in response to Cerner \u201cinterviewing Silicon Valley giants to pick a storage provider for 250 million health records, one of the largest collections of U.S. patient data.\u201d However, the WSJ noted that ultimately Cerner struck a storage deal with Amazon, not Google. Cerner was not immediately available for comment. Still, an earlier WSJ article<\/a> published on November 11, 2019, detailed Project Nightingale\u2014a business partnership that began in secret last year\u2014in which Google has been reportedly developing and managing the infrastructure of healthcare provider Ascension.In response to that WSJ piece, Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote a letter<\/a> to Google demanding that the tech giant provide answers to 17 questions about how such a vast amount of private, personal health data was surreptitiously collected\u2014as well as how the company plans to use it.\u201cWe write with concern over reports that Ascension has entered into a partnership that provides Google with the health records of tens of millions of Americans without their awareness or consent,\u201d stated the senators\u2019 letter. \u201cHealth information and records of medical care are exceptionally sensitive information that, when mishandled, expose patients to embarrassment, discrimination, exploitation, and other harms. Based on prior privacy violations and security failures from the company, we have substantial concerns about how Google will handle patient data and use health records for other purposes.\u201dThe senators also warned that \u201creports of Google\u2019s collection of personal health data raise additional red flags in light of recent news that Google is attempting to acquire Fitbit\u201d while charging that \u201caccess to tens of millions of patient records provides Google with an immense resource to build artificial intelligence systems and other tools that could be used elsewhere in the health sector and advertising markets.\u201dHowever, a Google spokesperson defended the vendor\u2019s business practices in targeting the healthcare industry. \u201cMany other companies pursue similar business models of selling compute power and cloud storage\u2014or building custom technology solutions\u2014for healthcare providers,\u201d noted the Google spokesperson. \u201cWe\u2019re bound by our terms of service, as well as regulations and signed agreements with customers, to not use PHI (protected patient health information) for purposes beyond those permitted by our customers and the law. This includes not using any PHI to target ads.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Google under fire for its efforts to access health records

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