Applying Information Technology to Health Care

(You'll need to register for an account to get to this screen.)

Web startups aim to give consumers more control over their health.  (San Jose Mercury News, 7/10/2011)

Excerpt:  HealthTap and Simplee are part of a growing wave of Web 2.0 startups that are using mobile and social technology to give consumers more control over their health. From turning smartphones into diagnostic tools to helping users shop for health plans and providers, these young companies hope to bring Silicon Valley know-how to bear on age-old problems.

"There's a ton of interest in this area, and for good reason: There hasn't been a lot of progress in applying information technology to health care," said Derik Pridmore of Founders Fund, the San Francisco venture capital firm launched by the co-founders of PayPal and Facebook.

Among his firm's investments are ZocDoc, which lets patients instantly book medical appointments online, and Practice Fusion, which gives doctors and patients more control over medical records.