Google’s approach to electronic health records:

Start-up electronic health record vendor Practice Fusion has struck a deal with Web search giant Google to provide a full-featured EHR for free, the first time such a product has been available to physicians at no cost as an on-demand Web service.

Advertising sold through Google’s system will finance the service, said Ryan Howard, chief executive officer of Practice Fusion. The company will also provide the EHR through a standard for-pay model, he said, but focus groups have indicated a greater potential acceptance of the free EHR.

(via HealthBlawg)

Update –
Micky Tripathi comments:

Finally, but most important, how will patients feel about this? The first time a patient sees a Paxil ad pop up on his physician’s screen, the questions will start flying. And the physician will be in the awkward position of saying that those ads don’t affect his/her decision-making, that the company generating those ads is Google, but not to worry, through the magic of technology, Google has no access to private medical records (and the physician will be crossing his/her fingers hoping that that’s true).