According to The New York Times, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) are "working up their plans to improve the nation's health care." The companies plan to combine search, the medical community's vast knowledge about disease and personal health records to better serve people with health issues.

While the companies are up against a medical systems known for its bureaucracy, they appear to believe that they can bring in large numbers of new users and medical advertisers as well. The Times writes that a recent Harris poll showed that 51% of adults consulted the internet for health information.

Both companies believe that patients would be happier if they had more control over their health records and decisions about illnesses.

All of this ignores the question of whether people will trust big software and internet companies to be stewards of their records, and whether they will trust information from companies that are simply trying to make money off a new line of business.

Online health care is already a crowded industry. Companies including WebMD and Healthline already provide medical information and patient services. The Center for the Study of Disease Control and National Institutes for Health have heavily visited websites. And, they are not-for-profit government agencies that most consumers would probably view as more trustworthy and software monopolies.

Microsoft Health may seem like a good idea, but will anyone trust it?

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St. G