If you were sick and you went online what service would you search for?

[NEXT]

If you, family member, or friend were diagnosed with an chronic disease or condition, what service or resource would you like to see or search for online? This is a need that will aid ease and comfort for people looking for answers. Would it be a doctor portal, review site etc ? This is to know what you as a person would really appreciate using.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[jon.a]

I have unexplained ataxia.

I researched everything.

From wiki to the Mayo clinic to UCLA Med school.

Then I went to personal blogs for some touchy feely help.

 

[socaldude]

A good unknown tool to search for cures or treatments is doing a PATENT search.

Otherwise I use Wikipedia, WebMD, Google etc.

 

[NEXT]

Anything you would prefer to see?

I have unexplained ataxia.

I researched everything.

From wiki to the Mayo clinic to UCLA Med school.

Then I went to personal blogs for some touchy feely help.

Any service that you would like to see,that would make things easier for you?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[healthstatus]

Wikipedia

Please, Please, don't use Wikipedia for ANYTHING health related.


Next, how about a search aggregator for all the major health websites, so I go to your site, or app. Type in my phrase and you go hit, WebMD, MayoClinic, Johns Hopkins, HealthStatus.com, American Cancer, NHLBI, American Diabetes and some of the other sites and give a list of articles related to the phrase from all the sources in one shot.

 

[InMotion]

If its catastrophic or debilitating like cancer etc....Probably an expat forum or forums like this one.


Either pick another country to move too or make a few million; even if you have great health insurance the average person will be milked dry by hospitals, insurance companies, outpatient services, the list goes on and on. I have seen this happen to several people I know. They all went from middle class to poverty for the most part.

 

[Twiki]

InMotion's comment makes me think that maybe there's a need for a site that serves medical tourism needs... where people in US go fly to India or the Phillipines to get treatments there, as the cost of flight + treatment is often much cheaper, and sometimes treatments are available overseas that are not yet here... sort of like an Expedia/Yelp for medical tourism, it would help people sort out the rules and regulations and what's available in what countries for how much. Just an idea but maybe someone here can run with it (if it hasn't been done already) --- I bet it'd help a lot of people.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[NEXT]

Sounds good

InMotion's comment makes me think that maybe there's a need for a site that serves medical tourism needs... where people in US go fly to India or the Phillipines to get treatments there, as the cost of flight + treatment is often much cheaper, and sometimes treatments are available overseas that are not yet here... sort of like an Expedia/Yelp for medical tourism, it would help people sort out the rules and regulations and what's available in what countries for how much. Just an idea but maybe someone here can run with it (if it hasn't been done already) --- I bet it'd help a lot of people.

Sounds good. You are right, lots of people have done this. But Improvements can be done on almost anything. One thing I hear though is because of insurance the research shows most people think twice before leaving the country for treatment.They love the price but seems to worry about safety and credibility of the doctor,country and procedure. I will look into that. Great wisdom. That aggregator concpet could be a great feature dont you think?

 

[InMotion]

InMotion's comment makes me think that maybe there's a need for a site that serves medical tourism needs... where people in US go fly to India or the Phillipines to get treatments there, as the cost of flight + treatment is often much cheaper, and sometimes treatments are available overseas that are not yet here... sort of like an Expedia/Yelp for medical tourism, it would help people sort out the rules and regulations and what's available in what countries for how much. Just an idea but maybe someone here can run with it (if it hasn't been done already) --- I bet it'd help a lot of people.

Medical tourism is a hot field. You would be surprised at how different countries also allocate funding for various reasons. For example, since its controversial here, stem cell treatment is much more advanced in the UK than the US...from what I have heard from those seeking that treatment.

They love the price but seems to worry about safety and credibility of the doctor,country and procedure. I will look into that. Great wisdom. That aggregator concpet could be a great feature dont you think?

I think this changes a lot when it comes to last ditch efforts to live. But for elective treatments like plastic surgery I would say this is correct.

Something like a travel agency for medical treatments?

Health advocacy is interesting as well. I cant remember where I saw this but one woman built up a $100 million annual company doing this. I think most people are out of money by the time they realize they could use help in this area; catching them early may be the key.

 

[healthstatus]

Yes, medical tourism is hot, but there is no clear cut way to monetize it.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Jake]

where people in US go fly to India or the Phillipines to get treatments there, as the cost of flight + treatment is often much cheaper, and sometimes treatments are available overseas that are not yet here

Huge in Thailand as well.

I can walk in and out of a hospital for less than I could if I was insured in the U.S..without insurance. (most cases)

I guess it's not very realistic to travel for child birth but enormous savings. I think I paid $1400 for 3 days in a VIP suite including child birth and all that goes with

 

[NEXT]

Interesting concept

Medical tourism is a hot field. You would be surprised at how different countries also allocate funding for various reasons. For example, since its controversial here, stem cell treatment is much more advanced in the UK than the US...from what I have heard from those seeking that treatment.



I think this changes a lot when it comes to last ditch efforts to live. But for elective treatments like plastic surgery I would say this is correct.

Something like a travel agency for medical treatments?

Health advocacy is interesting as well. I cant remember where I saw this but one woman built up a $100 million annual company doing this. I think most people are out of money by the time they realize they could use help in this area; catching them early may be the key.

For last ditch efforts this is where a sort of review directory of options(like alternative treatments) would be provided to help for those with last ditch conditions. Great insights. Tell me ,whats the name and nature of her business?

I think people will appreciate a single source for information where the aggregate,medical tourism and directory are merged a bit. Whats your thoughts on that?

 

[NEXT]

Yes, medical tourism is hot, but there is no clear cut way to monetize it.

Yep that is true. The tricky part would be to monetize it. Apart from advertising, leads may be the only option if they decise to your terms. Aggregrate site, review directory or even a medical tarvel agency is still tough to monetize. This always seem to be the point that sends you back to the drawing board no matter the good merit of the business vision. I do know that people get sick all the time and turn online as their first and last resort. Funny thing after talking to people they dont even know what they are looking for. Its wierd. What would you look online for if you were told you had heart disease tomarrow(god forbid)?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.