Has anyone participated in the health social network iMedix? I first read about this idea a few years ago on TechCrunch and it looks like they’re still around and kicking. I really like the idea of an empowered patient. I like the idea of having good information. I’m just not sure that iMedix or many other websites are the places for patients to get that information.

I wonder if iMedix could possibly start partnering with EHR companies to provide their platform of information integrated with a doctor’s portal. I’m not sure the doctor would ever go for it or if they would want to take on that liability. However, iMedix is interesting as kind of a Yahoo Answers for medical questions.

I’ve certainly seen this a few other places on the web and whenever I see it, I think about my experience at the doctor. Usually they don’t have time to answer all of my questions or it feels rushed or other questions just come up after the fact. Plus, I kind of like to know all the nuances of what’s happening. Since I work daily with a number of doctors, I’ve often found myself going and visiting with those doctors to become more educated about the treatment suggested by mine or my children’s doctors. One time my son was prescribed some interesting drugs for Mastocytosis and so I went and talked with the pharmacist I support and learned about the drugs as well. I just wanted to learn everything I could about the treatment and disease.

At the end of the day, how different is it for someone to go on a health website and ask the questions that I asked the doctors and pharmacist I work with? I guess the main difference is the trust factor between information on a website and my colleagues at work. However, the motivation to get more information is the same.

What can’t be discounted is the power of these health social networks to help patients with similar chronic conditions to interact with each other. I find this type of interaction really interesting to follow.