In a quite unexpected move Microsoft launched a new Web service med at helping people better manage their health information. Called HealthVault, the service is still in its beta phase and according to Microsoft it was created and designed to help people to take control of their health records.

HelathVault can be used by the patients to monitor their medical status.

“People are concerned to find themselves at the center of the healthcare ecosystem today because they must navigate a complex web of disconnected interactions between providers, hospitals, insurance companies and even government agencies,” said Peter Neupert, corporate vice president of the Health Solutions Group at Microsoft.

“Our focus is simple: to empower people to lead healthy lives. The launch of HealthVault makes it possible for people to collect their private health information on their terms and for companies across the health industry to deliver compatible tools and services built on the HealthVault platform,” he added.

The Microsoft’s Health Vault has three main modules. HealthVault Search is a vertical search engine which is designed to give to the users the most relevant online health content give and connect results with HealthVault-compatible products.

The HealthVault repository account is an encrypted online e-health database where the users and their families can store their medical records such as blood tests, vaccinations and medical history and share it with doctors. The repository account can be used to upload the information from health devices, such as glucose or blood pressure monitors.

Of course, Microsoft underlined the strict privacy policy of its new service. Created in cooperation with leading privacy advocates, respected security experts and dozens of the world’s leading healthcare organizations, HealthVault is designed and built to enhance privacy while providing people with the control they expect and require.

“HealthVault was developed using Microsoft’s Security Development Lifecycle, which means security concerns have been factored into every stage of the development process and our work has been subjected to internal and external security testing. HealthVault grants access to partner programs only to the extent a user allows such access. A partner program cannot access a user’s HealthVault record without the permission of a record custodian.” Microsoft said in a statement.

Security and identity are verified using Windows Live ID, the same sign-on protocol used for accessing the company's Web-based e-mail and instant-messaging services.

The third part of Health Vault is the HealthVault Connection Center, a place where users can find "plug-and-play" drivers for health monitoring devices such as diabetes meters and heart-rate monitors to connect to the HealthVault accounts.

By unveiling its HealtVault service, Microsoft finally managed to release a Web service ahead of Google. The search giant is working on a similar initiative, called Google Health, but so far there are no official details about the project, its status or the release date.

Google is working on its project with RAND, HealthTech, and the American Medical Association.