Health 2.0 - The Next Big Hype
Health 2.0, likes its older cousin Web 2.0 and uncle Web 3.0, is getting more and more attention. My colleague Bonnie Andersen pointed out the December 11 Modern Healthcare article, in which the magazine describes the three most important principles of what a Health 2.0 company or application is.
The first principle is the software of a Web 2.0 company has to be Web-based, has to provide a service and that service has to be structured so that the more people use it, the better it becomes. An example is eBay; as more and more buyers and sellers participate, the broader the eBay market becomes, which creates more value to the customer.
The second key principle is "harnessing collective intelligence," which also is referred to by others as "the wisdom of crowds." To avail themselves of this wisdom, Web 2.0 developers must create applications that are dynamic, with user participation designed into the systems, so that participation itself becomes an integral part of making the underlying database more valuable.
The third principle, "Data is the next 'Intel inside,' notes that specialized data, enhanced through analysis performed by the service provider as well as by the contributions of service users, becomes the core asset of a Web 2.0 company. Amazon wish lists, for example, are aggregated by Amazon and used as buyer's guides.
Matthew Holt of the Healthcare Blog and co-founder of the Health 2.0 conference is looser in his definition, placing the qualifying emphasis on whether the service or application promotes the healthcare experience as an "ongoing process" rather than a "series of episodic events.
Another view expressed is that Health 2.0 is centrally concerned with improved outcomes and, in the spirit of consumer-driven care, giving doctors and patients the tools they need to better achieve them.
Whatever the definition, if there is money to be made I'm sure more companies will be making a land grab in the Health 2.0 landscape. There is still a much hype on the topic. As usual the payors and employer groups will be the driving force. Much of what's bandied about around Health 2.0 is being done by larger players already.
Posted by Shawn Whalen on December 19, 2007 at 4:44 PM
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