Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Health 2.0 "User-Generated Health" Best in Show

Without further ado, Health 2.0 "User-Generated Health" Best in Show (in
no particular order):

1. HealthLibrarian <http://www.healthlibrarian.net/> . User interface,
bad. Search capabilities, goooood. One to watch. These guys are
brilliant and need a user-design friendly developer to slap some nice
facepaint on this one. However, they do the backend design work for
other companies/associations/clients, so pretty is as pretty does here.

2. Voxiva. <http://www.voxiva.com/> International track record for
mobile health applications that drive clinical results. Call CEO Paul
and ask him to tell you about Mexico and Rwanda. Awesome. Lessons to be
learned here abound.

3. ZumeLife <http://www.zumelife.com/> . A pager for health,
essentially, with the Zuri. Disclosure: I am a beta tester of the Zuri.
This is an unpaid gig. I like HIT toys and ZumeLife has been kind enough
to connect me with one that daily monitors metrics I want to track. More
on this later, but this kind of tech is up and coming. See also FitBit
<http://www.fitbit.com/> .

4. iMedix <http://www.imedix.com/> . The app, meh. Decent. The semantic
search tech behind it - whoa. If you watch their demo you'll learn all
you need to know to understand why semantic search is vital for the next
generation of health 2.0 applications and networks. I won't go into gory
details, but this team is patient, hard-working, and cuts through crap
with a knife (including mine) to get things done under pressure. Ask to
see the movie...Also watch the team. These guys are repeat entrepreneurs
with sharp smarts and a great tech development team. Consider the
package deal. A note on international Health 2.0 - watch the Netherlands
<http://www.nexthealth.nl> for patient movements, innovation, and
adoption of EHRs, but watch Israel's Silicon Valley for pure development
power. Also irish eyes are smilin'. Check in with Enda Madden
<http://twitter.com/endamadden> to learn about fascinating developments
on the Emerald Isle.

5. ADAMs Health Navigator. <http://www.adam.com/iphonesn/> For the
iPhone. Drool. If you have an iPhone, it gets five out of five "buy it
now what the hell are you waiting for" stars.

6. Rise of the Caregiver Sites: Careflash.com
<http://www.careflash.com/> is looking like the pretty cousin of the
poor relation it showed last show. Great updates, better UI, and really
useful calendar function. Disclosure: I am considering an advisory board
position (unpaid) with Careflash. Newcomer (to Health 2.0 Conferences
anyway) ENURGI <http://www.enurgi.com/> (pronounced energy) one to
watch. Social network blah but searching for, corresponding with, and
paying caregiver online is, finally, an app that makes sense and is
useful TODAY in real-life scenarios that have highly relevant health
meaning. CEO one to watch with deep experience in her industry, wit, and
verve. Anyone who can rock a demo after a domestic comestible crisis
rocks hardcore.

7. Change:Healthcare <https://www.changehealthcare.com/> . Team. Rockin.
Financial tools for managing and comparing healthcare expenses
regionally is brilliant. Decision support, I likes it. A bit of design
tweaking to come I hope, but this has potential to be online banking for
health. A bit schizophrenic at the moment with where they want to go,
and there are many roads yet to be considered. As with Organized Wisdom
<http://organizedwisdom.com/Home> , another great team (sometimes these
three swooping through the aisles remind me of the male Charlies Angels)
with solid primary product and many miles to go before they sleep.
Here's a cautionary note: Expand where it makes sense. Where can I print
and share and take your recipe cards for health? Who are logical
partners? Don't be Starbucks. Don't carry the puffy, bland, terrible
tasting breakfast sandwiches. Stick to brewing great coffee before brand
and identity dilution kills you. Are you the tree trunk or a mushroom?
Disclosure: The Organized Wisdom crew gifted me with a great kelly green
Organized Wisdom tee. I'm not worthy.

8. American Well <http://www.americanwell.com/> . If they overcome
issues with rollout in island paradise test case Hawaii look for even
bigger things. One issue - where is their physician outreach program?
How will they induce/incite docs to log on to the system and choose
patients with whom they'd like to work? Nice setup with BCBS of Hawaii
because docs they'll use are docs in network, who are compensated for
using the system. Brilliant play within existing payor structure. See
tons of work on other areas (visible in demo, Deep Dive), this portion
of strategy not well illuminated. May be intentional knowing these guys,
who have been go big or go home from the beginning. Repeat team with
proven exits.

9. Disaboom. <http://www.disaboom.com/> Pick for social networking site
worth a damn. Seriously. Take a look. Amen to this being THE ONLY
company who's paid attention to regulations for making websites
accessible to those with hearing/visual impairments. Does what a social
network does when it's working right - becomes integral part of daily
life and ads value, connection, empathic support. Team rocks.

10. MyPacs.Net. <http://www.disaboom.com/> YouTube of radiology.
Awesome. Practical applications with expansion potential like whoa.
Acquired by McKesson. Follow the founder.

11. Ozmosis.com. <https://www.ozmosis.com/home> Social networking for
docs. Invite only. Credentials checked. Team composed of practicing
physicians, who MAINTAIN clinical practice. Plus 20. Functionality blows
Sermo out of the water. And these guys tweet, thank the heavens.

12. EmphasisSearch. <http://www.emphasissearch.com/> Navigating murky
waters of specialist referral at academic medical centers, tertiary care
centers. You're dxd with a zebra. Your PCP has no clue where to send
you. Enter EmphasisSearch. Again, another service that isn't 'sexy' in
terms of design but far more vital solves a REAL, current need. Another
potential acquisition target.

13. FitBrains. <http://www.fitbrains.com/> Several faves on the Gaming
for Health panel, moderated with verve (and interesting door prizes) by
Doug Goldstein. This one's better than Scrabble or Yahoo!Chess. An
online gaming site for the brain gain company with multiple games, ways
to compete against coworkers, etc. And yes, I've, ahem, spent some time
checking it out. Games based on five 'major muscle groups' for the brain
designed around in-depth neuro-clinical studies. Surface AND substance -
warms my heart. Warning - may be more addictive than Fantasy Football in
group settings. Exec points here too. Michael, will you partner with
AARP already?

14. Special Prize: HopeLab. <http://www.hopelab.org/> This is a do good
works, game well company. Disclosure: I participated in HopeLab's
RuckusNation Challenge last year (online judge of plans submitted) -
volunteer, unpaid activity. ReMission
<http://www.hopelab.org/innovative-solutions/re-mission%E2%84%A2/> , a
game HopeLab developed for kids with cancer distributed FREE and based
on an amazing depth of medical and behavioral research, is THE ONLY APP
I downloaded and continued to use at will when it was no longer strictly
necessary for demo purposes. Being Roxy, the nanobot who zaps cancer, is
quite simply addictive. As is the sense of victory that comes with
'adhering' to therapy and using chemo to outwit those nasty blobs of
unruly cell growth. Get a presentation from Richard Tate, who, other
presenters take note - ACTUALLY GAMED FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE while
concurrently navigating his demo. Well worth your time.

15. HealthTalker <http://www.healthtalker.com/> . Fascinating model for
social networking, activities, learning, activism that is condition
centric, paid for by sponsors. Participants get sweet kit in the mail.
Design-oriented and fantastically marketed; thank God for someone that
gets the importance of UI. One to watch. Doing some VERY neat things.
Acquisition target perhaps...

16. Limeade <https://limeade.com/SecureLogin.aspx> . CEO is a force of
vertical nature at work. Henry could sell you a pet rock and make you
feel shiny and happy laying out cash for the purchase. Employer wellness
programs are nothing new, but employee-centric, fun, elegantly designed,
and intensely private programs are. This company is begging for
partnerships with innovative firms like Safeway (yeah, the grocery
chain). Can't take plan with you if you change employers - YET. But
feels trustworthy, like they're one of the only players in the space
looking out for my interests a la regulations
<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCZ7k11w_wfkKNZSynh3plfG0ISwD943M1N0
0> governing employer use of employee wellness info. I'd pay to get,
pay to transfer, carry with me along my Brownian career path (thanks
Carlos Rizo <http://www.linkedin.com/pub/3/824/b75> ) like I do with my
401k vendor. Keep an eye out. This is a big mushroom that would only
benefit from a Sequoia sized tree trunk.

17. Hello Health <https://www.hellohealth.com/main/index.html> /Myca
<http://www.myca.com/> . Jay Parkinson was off rockin' the audience at
Pop!Tech, <http://www.myca.com/pages_eng/videos/poptech2008.html> but
Doc Sean Khozin <http://blog.seankhozin.com/> was onsite doing what he
does best, caring for patients (myself included after some tachycardia
on the morning of day II - scary but inconsequential - thank you Sean,
send me a bill!) and talking about the platform Myca has built that lets
him do that. Key words: caring, lets, platform. What it's all about
people. Size, scalability, future competition in the space are biggest
issues here, but oh, yes, keep watching.

18. MedicalPlexus. <http://www.medicalplexus.com/> Design, UI icky but
neat FaceBook for doc groups. Team is young, well-educated. Sermo group
fools if they don't buy this company and these guys while they're still
accessible. Ozmosis team take a look too.

19. KwikMed. <http://kwikmed.com/> "Only" for a lot of online pharmacy
stuff, including licensed to prescribe online (betcha didn't know that
was out there, did ya? Join the club). Ask founder/CEO to tell you the
story of how and why he started company. Hint: It involves the little
blue pill. Again, exec team huge plus. Got their stuff together. Going
after existing market. If I was Target or Safeway I'd buy them, roll
them in, become part of 2 prong strategy including onsite minute/retail
clinic partner.

18. Plus3Network. <http://plus3network.com/> The fitness user's friend.
Huge growth potential with Outside-reading, urban-biking, occasional 5k
running crowd. Right now more 'serious' fitness users (triathletes,
people who bike to work, etc) than weekend warriors, but an awesome site
with a do-good be-well model. Can organize group activities, see what
other people around the world are setting up (great to set up, say,
international health group meeting to be conducted during a bike tour of
The Netherlands...rubbing chin....). You choose a corporate sponsor,
work towards nifty prizes, and help them raise funds. Awesome model.
Talk to the CEO. Great guy, got his head on straight.

19. ZocDoc.com <http://www.zocdoc.com/> . 3M in funding from Khosla
Ventures. Former McKinsey team that picks their people carefully. Wore
orange scrubs at previous demo gig. Verve for presenting, and
substantive bedrock of kick-ass, specialist doc and dentist booking
software beneath it all. Wish they'd been on mainstage. They need to
expand outside the Big Apple, and Ted Eytan we better hope they pick DC
next. Put it this way. If they called, and I was on the other line with
someone, I'd hang up to talk to them. Pronto.

20. <http://www.qtrait.com/> QTrait <http://www.qtrait.com/> . Opposites
attract, genetic profile dating. Craziness. Actually some nifty genetic
stuff (a la carte genotyping?) I'll probably buy this year, or ask to
receive for Christmas. Founder bench strength and background like whoa.
One to watch. Best of breed for consumer-friendly design. Others take
note. Lose the circa 1999 interfaces. Probably will be all over
press/media this year. If you're interested in the genetics stuff (and
with Sarah Palin's assertion this week about pet projects like 'fruit
fly testing in Paris France, I kid you not!' being a waste of funds
<http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=PUe4pzIhlDw#t=1m19s> , you should be) -
take a look that the discussion on this beta tester's blog:
http://bustermcleod.livejournal.com/196345.html.
<http://bustermcleod.livejournal.com/196345.html>

21. PrivateAccess: <https://www.privateaccess.info/> Most complete
trial platform I've seen. Helps take what is a VERY acutely subjective
phase of healthcare decision making for consumer and provider and put it
into objective steps, easy to follow and understand terminology. Team
worked like dervishes to pull this off in time and is drum tight. A top
5 must-follow for next year.

22. USPreventiveMedicine
<http://www.uspreventivemedicine.com/?gclid=CPPX172xzZYCFRMvHgodAxkozA>
. Wellness and disease management platform. Bigger, sexier, better
designed DM. For a 'Health 2.0 company' really deep founder, exec team,
and advisory board strength. Also tiptoeing towards policy recs and
advocacy.

Source:
http://healthmgmtrx.blogspot.com/2008/10/health-20-review-smoke-fires-an
d.html

Autor: Jen McCabe Gorman (blogger profile:
http://www.blogger.com/profile/12280837167883024960)

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