Becoming a HealthVault Solution Provider

Microsoft and its partners are connecting health communities to create positive health outcomes. Microsoft® HealthVault™ is built on the principle that consumers should control their own health information and the belief that consumers want access to online health management tools that they can trust in the same way they trust their doctor’s filing cabinets.

This is a long journey. Healthcare is a big and complex issue, and no single company is going to provide a complete end-to-end solution. We are embarking on this journey with fellow pioneers in online health resources because it requires the power of many to achieve transformative impact. Our goal is to foster the growth of a health application ecosystem to achieve our mission of connecting health communities for positive health outcomes.

HealthVault is a health application platform, a set of platform services, and a catalyst for creating an application ecosystem.

• HealthVault is a health application platform.
• HealthVault provides a privacy-enhanced and security-enhanced foundation on which a broad ecosystem of providers can build innovative health and wellness solutions.
• HealthVault can be used to allow consumers to store and transfer information between a variety of providers’ health services and health devices.
• HealthVault includes an integrated set of platform services that connect devices, PCs, and applications to HealthVault and provide an integrated health search experience.
• HealthVault Connection Center provides the services to support the transfer of data from devices to HealthVault.
• HealthVault Search is a Web search service that lets users discover and learn about health topics and store the information in their private HealthVault accounts.

The HealthVault Fact Sheet provides additional information.

Why Become a HealthVault Solution Provider?

Becoming a HealthVault Solution Provider provides you with access to key benefits:

Leverage the storage platform and connectivity services

HealthVault provides a set of services that solution providers can use to more rapidly build and scale their applications. By building applications natively on the HealthVault platform, solution providers can benefit from the storage services of Microsoft. Our storage services provide access-controlled, high-availability storage, which we scale as needed.

For devices, developers can write custom drivers to interact with HealthVault. The device drivers share a common interface through Windows Portable Device.

HealthVault Search is a vertical health search tool designed to work with the platform.  The search services can be used to provide search functionality within applications, allowing consumers, for example, to do in-context searches on health terms.   

Create new business opportunities

The ability to work with aggregated data enables a whole new set of consumer health applications to be built. Developers can build applications that, with consumer consent, bring together lab values, device data, and medication information that can help patients and caregivers better manage their health conditions. 

Bring increased traffic and visibility

All applications created by HealthVault solution providers are listed in the HealthVault Program Directory. They may also be placed in the relevant HealthVault Search sponsored results, helping individuals discover your applications when they are searching on relevant topics.

Consumer benefits

• Data liquidity: Your users control any data that they upload to HealthVault from your application, and can then share it with their doctor and other caregivers. They can also use this data in other HealthVault-compatible applications, enriching their end-to-end experience.
• Device connectivity: A growing number of HealthVault-enabled health and fitness devices means that device data can be uploaded into HealthVault. By integrating your application with HealthVault, you can enable users to interact with their device data using your application as the interface.

Process of Becoming a HealthVault Solution Provider

This diagram summarizes the main steps of becoming a HealthVault Solution Provider. For more information, see the Getting Started Guide for Potential Solution Providers.

The Go-Live worksheet provides detailed information about the steps for preparing to go live.

You can use the Go-Live checklist to check off the tasks in the process as you complete them.

HealthVault Solution Provider Operating and Privacy Requirements

HealthVault solution provider agreements differ from other Microsoft solution provider agreements in one important way: HealthVault solution providers must agree to privacy requirements that are unique to HealthVault.You can view an example of the operating and privacy requirements to get an idea of what is involved.