Google's health initiatives have been a mystery for many months now. That's because they keep talking about the importance of organizing health information, but to date we haven't seen any major new products launch or acquisitions take place.
So what does this week's news that effective immediately, Google exec Adam Bosworth has left the company, mean to the future of Google Health?
For starters Google's head of the core search group, Marissa Mayer will (at least temporarily) take the helm. Which is probably a good sign since she is one of the most influential and important executives on the Google team. The company is clearly taking this change seriously, whether Bosworth's exit was expected or not.
In our opinion, having Google in the game promoting innovation in health care is a great thing. They have the talent and deep pockets to promote great ideas, entrepreneurs, and new companies. This is not only a great thing for their company, but also for others in the burgeoning Health 2.0 space because we all benefit when we are propelling each other forward.
Having Google paying attention to health care innovation is also critical to health searchers. With so many people starting their search at Google now, it is essential that visitors get credible, quality search results.
As we have blogged about extensively about this trend (here, here, here), because the quality of search from resources like Google is now in shambles. Spammers, clutter, and marketers are really taking a toll on the quality of their search results, especially in the area of health.
We hope and look forward to Google continuing to innovate in health care and support other companies that are working hard to find better ways to solve these same challenges.