Private sector health IT moves full speed ahead.

The American Medical Association is aiming to "better connect patients and their physicians." The AMA sealed a deal with Microsoft on June 11 to use the HealthVault platform, a Web-based portal that will exchange health and fitness information, according to a press release.

Through this collaboration, physicians will be able to access self-reported patient health information at the point of care. At the same time, patients can access their information that's been entered through the physician office, the AMA said.  

With patient consent, physicians will be able to access a patient’s HealthVault record through a physician Web-based portal the AMA is developing with Covisint, a subsidiary of Compuware. The AMA portal, which is currently in beta testing, will provide physicians access to practice-related products, services, and resources in a single location. The AMA plans to launch its new portal nationally in early 2010.

“The use of electronic medical records and health information technology overall, holds great promise for improving patient care and increasing practice efficiency,” said AMA President-elect James Rohack, MD. “The addition of Microsoft’s HealthVault on our AMA portal will enable patients using HealthVault to share more comprehensive health information with their physicians."

Having this kind of access to patient information will also help physicians make treatment decisions, reduce the time they'd spent gathering this information, and in the end, result in more face-to-face time with patients, Rohack added.

“With the pending launch of their portal, the AMA is addressing a demand within the medical community for tools that enable physicians to join the move towards online health in a seamless, intuitive way,” said David Cerino, general manager of the Consumer Health Solutions Group at Microsoft. “Through Microsoft HealthVault’s connection to the AMA portal, patients will be able share personal health information with their physicians, who can make more informed decisions for improved coordination of care.”

The AMA has been developing its portal for more than a year, according to the release. Primary offerings will include clinical resources, practice and revenue management tools, e-prescribing and electronic health record applications and professional development resources.

And good news for the not-so-technically-savvy: The portal will allow for personalized content, search capabilities, and learning and networking opportunities that will not require great technological expertise to implement, the AMA promised.