Content about Google

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — As consumers and patients increasingly use social media as a healthcare tool and resource, a survey by Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and CVS Caremark researchers found a need to improve site guidelines, as there is great variability in the standards used to ensure a site effectively provides information and answers to important health-related questions.

NEW YORK — Top officials at Google knew about ads for online black-market pharmacies displayed on the Internet search giant's website, according to published reports.

Forbes magazine reported that federal investigators said Google co-founder Larry Page was aware that the ads were illegal but still allowed them to be displayed, based on documents related to the case. The article quoted a company spokesman as saying that the company had settled and was "moving on," but that it should not have allowed the ads.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission announced on Wednesday that it has reached a settlement with Beiersdorf, the maker of Nivea, regarding advertising claims of its Nivea My Silhouette! skin cream.

The FTC administrative complaint charged Beiersdorf with falsely claiming that by regularly applying Nivea My Silhouette! cream to the skin, consumers could slim down. According to the complaint, Beiersdorf marketed the skin cream in nationwide television ads and through sponsored search results on Google. As part of the settlement, Beiersdorf has agreed to pay $900,000.

Call it “the attack of the coupon-crazed shelf sweepers.” It’s the most aggressive form of bargain hunting by consumers willing to spend hours searching out coupon deals, to stock up with enough product to last their families for a year and to turn their homes into veritable warehouses.


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Take a quick glance at the top 10 list, and not knowing that these are the brands resonating with today’s children/young adults, you might mistake this for a list of the top 10 advertising campaigns. Or the top 10 social media campaigns. Or the top 10 Super Bowl commercials. Or the top 10 things you’ll most likely find in your teen’s room.

RICHMOND, Va. Looking to help inform consumers on how to best access emergency room alternatives and receive the same medical care with less out-of-pocket cost, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia has announced the creation of a Google Map that identifies all of the ER alternatives available to members throughout the state.

Concerning the effort to shift the nation’s healthcare system away from paper records and handwritten prescriptions toward a fully coordinated system linked through health information technology, CVS Caremark apparently gets it. The company’s leaders have shown a firm grasp of the potential for reaching patients — and keeping them involved in their own health and wellness regimen — through Internet-based tools like Google.