HealthTap
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (May 2012) |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, California |
| Key people | Ron Gutman (CEO), Sastry Nanduri (CTO), Geoffrey Rutledge (CMIO), Sean Mehra (Head of Product), Michael Nichols (General Counsel) |
| Industry | Interactive Health and Technology |
| URL | www |
HealthTap is an Interactive Health[1] company, founded by Stanford graduate Ron Gutman in 2010 to reinvent the way people all over the world take care of their health and well-being. His mission: to help everyone feel good and measurably prolong the life expectancy of humankind by enabling immediate access to trusted health knowledge, medical experts, and action recommendations.
Patients can ask medical questions of HealthTap+’s network of more than 60,000 doctors for free, and get access to health tips, checklists, and news articles on a comprehensive array of health topics and issues—also for free. In June, HealthTap+ launched it premium HealthTap Prime service. HealthTap+ Prime members pay a monthly subscription fee for unlimited live consults with physicians via video or audio conferences. The service is available from any mobile device or PC with an internet connection.
Based in Palo Alto, California, HealthTap+ is backed by Khosla Ventures, The Mayfield Fund, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors and Mohr Davidow Ventures, along with prominent Silicon Valley angel investors. The company received Series A funding from The Mayfield Fund, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors and Mohr Davidow Ventures[2]
In April 2011, HealthTap+ launched a public Beta product focused on providing health information related to pregnancy and infant care.[3] In September 2011, HealthTap expanded its service to encompass all areas of health.
In July 2013, HealthTap+ launched its revolutionary next-generation service to help it meet its ambitious goal to help everyone everywhere smile and feel good. Today, HealthTap+ offers consumers the ability to ask health questions, online and via mobile devices of a network of more than 62,000 U.S.-licensed physicians in 137 specialities in more than 3,200 cities for free.
In July 2014, HealthTap+ debuted HealthTap Prime, in which doctors create health tips and checklists to help users reach their health goals and—most revolutionary—perform Virtual House Calls via video or audio conferences live with patients. To date, HealthTap+ has served more than 1.2 billion answers to users’ questions, and it claims with little abilily to substantiate that it has saved more than 12,000 lives.
The HealthTap app is available across a range of platforms and devices, including a version for the web along with applications for iPhone, iPad and Android, including wearable smartwatches.
There are currently a number of versions of HealthTap available across several platforms and devices, including a version for the web along with applications for iPhone, iPad and Android.
Interactive health
HealthTap+ today owns the world’s most comprehensive, always-evolving, and evergreen knowledgebase of personal health wisdom and expertise on the internet. This information is supplied interactively by a network of more than 62,000[4] U.S. licensed doctors in good standing (licensed physicians with active disciplinary actions against them are not admitted to the network) who every day contribute to making this knowledgebase richer and more useful. HealthTap+ also provides the opportunity for peer review, which consists of doctors rating each other, as well as self-identifying their own specializations onprofiles in their individual Virtual Practices. As they do this, HealthTap+ becomes more essential to anyone making important decisions about health and well-being.
Press and expansion
HealthTap has garnered media coverage in publications including The New York Times,[5] Forbes[6] and TIME.[7]
HealthTap started its Medical Expert Network with U.S.-licensed OBGYN and Pediatrics physicians. Since then, this network has expanded to over 11,000 doctors, which the company describes as the largest network of interactive, engaged physicians online.[8]
In December 2011, HealthTap announced that it had secured $11.5 Million in Series A funding, led by The Mayfield Fund, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors and Mohr Davidow Ventures.[9]
Criticism
Commenting on HealthTap, Peter W. Carmel, president of the American Medical Association, said the Internet should “complement, not replace, the communication between a patient and their physician.” With online health advice, the doctor doesn't take a history, doesn't do a physical exam, and doesn't monitor or assess any suggested treatment. "Using this information in isolation could pose a threat to patients,” he said.[10]
References
- ^ Ron Gutman, "The New Era of Interactive Health", Forbes Magazine, April 18, 2011
- ^ "HealthTap Announces $11.5M in Series A Funding led by Mayfield Fund, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors", "PR Newswire", December 6, 2011
- ^ "HEALTHTAP LAUNCHES FIRST INTERACTIVE EXPERT HEALTH COMPANION — FREE TO ALL", "HealthTap.com", April 26, 2011
- ^ http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/how-to-save-10000-lives-with-an-app-flatter-doctors/?_r=0
- ^ Regina Sinsky, "HealthTap's Social Network of 5,000 Doctors Is Ready to Give Free Advice", newyorktimes.com, September 26, 2011
- ^ Tomio Geron "HealthTap Q&A Site Connects Doctors and Patients" www.forbes.com, December 06, 2011
- ^ Bonnie Rochman "A New Health Site in Beta Testing for Pregnant Women, New Moms"
- ^ <"10,000 Physicians Strong and Growing" bixjournals.com, February 12, 2012
- ^ See Footnote 3
- ^ Advice for the Ill, and Points for the Doctors, By RANDALL STROSS, New York Times, February 4, 2012
External links
- HealthTap main page: https://www.healthtap.com/