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Personal health records, or PHRs, are seen by many observers to be a key to solving the health care problems in the U.S.A. It’s not a new concept (Wikipedia reports that the term itself goes back to the 1970s); however, the association it now has with electronic records is somewhat new.

In short, a PHR represents a person’s complete health history and is made available to any health care official the patient approves of. It’s meant to greatly simplify the health care process by providing a safe way to give information to whomever may need it.

And, with the always-competitive Internet giants seeking to revolutionize each other at every turn, it should come as no surprise that Google and Microsoft have gotten themselves into the business of providing PHR technology.

This, according to the Washington Post’s Craig Stoltz, has the health care industry “energized, focused and at least a little bit frightened.”

In addition to Google and Microsoft, dozens of companies presented online products designed to make U.S. health care smarter, stronger and better looking. There was a plan to offer online doctor consults at $1.99 per minute, a provider search tool pitched as “the match.com of health care,” and an electronic medical record that made you want to bask in the sheer beauty of ear infection data.

Here’s a look at where Microsoft’s and Google’s personal health record programs are now and where they may be headed.

What Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health have in common:

Both companies claim the same ultimate goals: To create integrated online environments where you can create and store your personal records, get information, find doctors, make medical appointments, communicate online, manage medications, share information with providers and more. Oh, and with Microsoft and Google, there’s always that other goal: to dominate the world.

Both put users in control over what goes into the record and who has access to it. If there’s something you’d rather not share with your employer, insurance company or anyone else, leave it out.

Both are free Web-based services, meaning you can access the records without cost from any computer. The services are described as being as secure as online banking. Both companies pledge not to share your information without your explicit permission.

Both offer tailored searches that promise to filter out garbage and surface the gold.

Any private-company efforts to help overhaul the ailing U.S. health care system are admirable, particularly given the difficulty the government is having in getting any kind of reform-minded consensus. But, what’s in this for Google and Microsoft?

Microsoft plans to make money by placing ads next to HealthVault search results. As with any search, some are text ads generated by keywords. Some are interactive ads promoting HeathVault-compatible devices or services. Some offer related books and products from Amazon. Anyone can use the HealthVault search, but if you want to save your results privately (a nice feature), you’ll need to sign up for a free HealthVault account.

[For its part,] Google doesn’t rule out the possibility of selling ads alongside search results or other Google Health services but says it has no current plans to do so. … So why would Google take on such a big, difficult project — creating complex data exchange systems and storing all that personal information — if there’s no way to make money? Data show more than 70 percent of people seeking health-care information turn first to Google. A strong personal health dashboard linked to other Google services, including its cash-cow search business, can make sure those health-seekers stay with Google rather than with the competition. Like Microsoft, for instance.

So far, no launch dates have been set, but the health care industry is watching with great interest.

Read more about Google Health here. Read more about Microsoft HealthVault here. And click here to check out the original article in the Washington Post.