Opinion: Google is quietly infiltrating medicine — but what rules will it play by?
With nearly 80 percent of internet users searching online for health-related information, it’s no wonder the catchphrase “Dr. Google” has caught on, to the delight of many searchers and the dismay of many real doctors.
What’s received little attention from physicians or the public is the company’s quiet metamorphosis into a powerhouse focused on the actual practice of medicine.
If as the internet meme has it, Google and its Big Tech brethren could become the new OPEC. Search is only the start for Google and. Their involvement in health care can continue through a doctor’s diagnosis and even into monitoring a patient’s chronic condition for, essentially, forever. (From here on, I’ll use the term Google to include the of Google and Alphabet units.)
