Healthline, a leading provider of intelligent online health solutions, recently announced two new decision-support platforms for online healthcare: Healthline TreatmentSearch – the first ever treatment search application for the web – and Healthline DocSearch, a rich, searchable doctor database featuring semantically-suggested specialists based on the consumer’s health condition or symptoms. These latest clinical applications join Healthline SymptomSearch, Healthline DrugSearch, and Healthline Learning Centers to inform patients and caregivers at every stage of the health condition: from symptoms and diagnoses, to doctors, treatments, drugs, and costs. The integrated suite of Healthline Clinical Applications is now available on Healthline.com, and will become available to select partners within Healthline Networks.

“When you are diagnosed with a health condition, you want to know your options, find a treatment and a specialist that are right for you, and understand the associated cost implications,” West Shell III, Chairman and CEO of Healthline Networks. “Healthline semantic search technology enables us to get inside not just the consumer’s health inquiry, but also all the relevant associations. With the addition of Healthline TreatmentSearch and Healthline DocSearch, we now has a complete set of Medically Guided search applications that empowers consumers to take control at every stage of their health condition.”

While most treatment information online is embedded deep within articles on health websites, Healthline TreatmentSearch is the first online health application to surface a semantically-generated list of possible treatment options for a disease or condition. The application covers 4,500 treatment options, including 1,200 medications and 3,300 medical, surgical and alternative therapies. Healthline Treatment Search delivers a comprehensive list of treatments that is easy to manage and understand; results are ranked algorithmically, and sub-categorized into the following:

· Diagnostic Tests

· Medical Procedures

· Surgical Procedures

· Self Care

· Alternative Procedures

· Prescribed & Over-the-Counter Medications

· Nutritional Supplements

For example, if a user searches for strep throat, Healthline Treatment Search will return 22 different treatment options, including information on tests such as the Rapid Streptococcus Screening Test, prescribed medications like amoxicillin and cephalexin, over-the counter medications, self-care and diet. Users can mouse-over each treatment listing for a brief summary before diving deeper into their research. Medical content for Healthline TreatmentSearch comes from Healthline’s world-class health information publishers, including ADAM, Cerner Multum, Gale Cengage, Harvard Health Publishing, Natural Standard, and StayWell.

Because cost influences treatment decisions, Healthline TreatmentSearch also offers local and national cost information about each treatment and condition through a “Cost Estimator” tab. Current cost data estimates reflect the combined total amount paid for a service by consumers and their insurance companies (if covered). The Healthline Cost Estimator is presently in early “beta,” and will be enhanced over the coming months.

“Doctors and other health care providers are incredibly busy, and don’t always have time to educate their patients about each and every therapeutic option available to them,” said Dr. Paul Auerbach, Healthline’s Chief Medical Officer. “Healthline TreatmentSearch is a uniquely innovative product that presents a vast array of treatment choices – both conventional and alternative – as well as costs, in a stand-alone, easy to understand format. This will enhance how the medical profession is able to communicate with patients.”

Healthline DocSearch

Also announced today, Healthline DocSearch is a new application which allows health consumers to search, compare and connect to relevant health care professionals. Starting with only a health condition and a geographic location, Healthline DocSearch culls results from a database of 1.3 million health professionals, including MDs, chiropractors, nurses, clinicians, and alternative practitioners to find the right care in their area. For example, if a consumer searches on doctors who treat strep throat, Healthline will automatically surface a list of otolaryngologists as well as internists in the selected geographic location. Healthline DocSearch can be further refined by a doctor’s length of experience, languages spoken, education, hospital affiliation, and even letters in a last name. A unique doctor-compare feature opens a window that lets users compare up to 20 different doctors – as opposed to 3-5 on other doctor compare products — in an easy-to-read format.

Unique Support along the Patient Pathway

The launch of Healthline TreatmentSearch and Healthline DocSearch completes Healthline’s unique suite of semantic platforms designed to inform the health consumer at every stage along the patient pathway – from symptom, to diagnosis, to doctors, treatments, and costs. The complete suite of Healthline Clinical Applications leverages the company’s Medically Guided Search technology and includes:

· Healthline SymptomSearch: the only semantically-generated, interactive symptom tool covering ten times more symptoms and their likely causes than other online symptom checkers

· Healthline DrugSearch: provides users with information on pharmaceutical drugs and alternative supplements, up-to-date FDA alerts, and interactions.

· Healthline Learning Centers: More than 1000 multimedia channels featuring trusted content from world-class health publishers.

· Healthline TreatmentSearch: the web’s first online treatment search tool

· Healthline DocSearch: the most comprehensive on the market, linked to the health condition searched by the user

· Healthline CostEstimator: costs based on national and local averages (in beta)

“One of the most important ways that each of us can help ensure that we, or our family members, receive the right care is to become better informed patients,” said Kenneth W. Kizer, MD, MPH, Chairman of Medsphere Systems Corporation, a member of the Healthline Medical Advisory Board, and former Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). “Healthline Clinical Applications provide ‘patient-friendly,’ evidence-based information that can be relied upon to guide our decision-making.”

Source: Healthline

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 13th, 2009 at 12:13 am and is filed under Health, Updates, Verticals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.