Healthline drags an insurer into Health 2.0
The Web-based health-management tools collectively known as Health 2.0 generally suffer from a major shortcoming, in that they typically put the onus on individuals to learn about them and put them to use. But a few startups are taking an interesting new tack by getting health insurers to offer their Health 2.0 services to their customers — an important development, although one that may present a whole new set of problems.
Last week I wrote about… Continue Reading
Six Health 2.0 firms reinvent doctor-patient ties
(UPDATED: Added screenshots and a link to video of the Myca patient-record interface.)
The just-concluded Health 2.0 Conference in San Diego showcased some 30-odd startups and Web sites — with dozens more in the audience — all intent on using the Internet to improve patient care, streamline healthcare practices and bolster the ability of individuals to take charge of their own medical treatment. There’s lots more to say, and I hope to do so over the next… Continue Reading
iMedix combines health search and community — but does neither well
(UPDATED: See below.)
For all the fuss over “Health 2.0″ companies that hope to revolutionize the U.S. medical system by tapping the bottom-up information-sharing capabilities of the Web, the unfortunate fact is that many of them are busily piling into business areas that are already seriously overcrowded. Worse, many seem to have no business model at all. iMedix, a new site hoping to draw users into a community where they can share information about their medical conditions,… Continue Reading
Microsoft launches HealthVault to manage your health search and medical records — but it will hurt a bit
UPDATED: See below. Also, this is now part one of a two-part post; for the second part, which actually reviews the HealthVault service, click here.
Microsoft has finally unveiled its first stab at managing personal health records on the Web, and it’s an interesting, if underwhelming, attempt to realize a future in which individuals have much more control over their personal health information.
Called HealthVault, the Microsoft offering combines yet another healthcare-info search engine with the record-storage application… Continue Reading