Health Informatics Takes the Next Step – Social Networking

Liz Perry for Leaders in Healthcare – August 19, 2008

The Washington Post announced this week that WellNet Healthcare, a Bethesda health management company, will launch the beta version of a social network, Point to Point Healthcare, this month. Thus far, WellNet’s business has been based on collecting detailed data on employees' medical and pharmacy activity so that companies can better evaluate their corporate health plans. Point to Point will connect the company’s network of 300,000 primary-care doctors with pharmacists, patients, and specialists. Features offered are to include online medical profiles, live chat, via instant messenger, online scheduling, wellness journals, and physician rating.

Point to Point is not the only effort to move forward electronically with healthcare management and communication. The online health industry is seeing efforts from others including Google, Microsoft, and Revolution Health, founded by former AOL chairman Steve Case. With support from the U.S. government and the recent push for "going green," the entire healthcare industry is trending slowly but surely toward taking medical records electronic. As it does, more informatics professionals will be needed to design and maintain the systems housing these records.