ROUND UP: Harvard Pilgrim, Beansprout.net to Offer Free Web Sites to Pediatricians
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Beansprout Networks have teamed up to offer free Web sites and development services to the HMOs' 1,700 pediatricians. This spring, Beansprout.net will begin creating individual sites for pediatricians' clinical practices, allowing families to access health information and learn about their pediatricians' practices, including doctor profiles, office hours and hospital affiliations. Parents also will be able to submit request forms for well-child exams and prescription refills, while researching childhood development and other health-related issues (Harvard Pilgrim release, 5/15).
Checkup Reminder
A new Web site to remind patients of medical checkups launched last week HealthCheckups.com's service, called "My Health Secretary," provides patients with forms to detail specific health information for their doctors. Dr. Larry Alexander, one of the site's creators, said, "This site is designed to provide information specific to gender, age and medical history that will help individuals maximize their good health. ... My Secretary allows patients to compile and print out health information, such as exact names and doses of medications, at home before they visit a doctor's office -- resulting in greater accuracy." The service is free of charge and has specific for men, women, children and seniors (Patrick, Dallas Business Journal, 5/15).
Tracking Prescriptions
While only 30% of patients who are given a prescription get it filled and another 25% fail to finish it, InfoMedics is offering a service allowing doctors to track patients after they have been given medication. Free to both patients and doctors, patients report their progress, including blood pressure, weight, heart rate or glucose levels. So far, 50,000 physicians have used the service and Infomedics "will host 1 million patient transactions this year on its site." Pharmaceutical companies also benefit from the site by paying InfoMedics for data patients input anonymously to use in marketing. InfoMedics Vice President Michael Euele said that the company collects data for ailments such as arthritis, erectile dysfunction, migraines and obesity (Connolly, Boston Business Journal, 5/15).