The first large-scale resource to help patients compare and contrast the effectiveness of drugs and treatments for various illnesses, ailments and medical conditions has been launched by HealthTap, a digital health platform that connects patients with doctors any time, anywhere by mobile devices or personal computers.
The portal, RateRx, is based on clinical experience of half a million doctors, 67,000 of whom are active on the HealthTap site, and have been asked to rate thousands of medications.
If, for example, you want to know what practicing physicians think best cures a headache, log on to the site at http://www.healthtap.com/raterx. Sign in, search for headaches and medications and identify the symptoms most similar to yours. You will find recommendations from a variety of doctors with notes about their suggestions.
Knowing about the doctors whose recommendations you’re reading may help you make more informed treatment decisions. A profile of each physician’s experience, area of expertise and board certification is available. And if you wish, you can immediately consult an on-duty physician by text or telemedically. One consultation is $44, or $99 a month buys unlimited consultations. Simple questions can be posed at no cost.
“This platform will change how people make decisions,” said Ron Gutman, HealthTap’s founder and CEO. “It encourages doctors to give opinions and consumers to become better educated. It’s health care’s equivalent of Yelp or Amazon.”
A family physician in Sarasota, Fla., Andrea Brand, is active on the HealthTap site and has rated and reviewed close to 2,000 medications for RateRx. She also is on call to take questions and see patients — virtually — twice a week.
Brand said RateRx is the only place where patients can go to get a compilation of drug comparisons. For now, she added, doctors are rating only the effectiveness of those medications, but she hopes the ratings will expand to include additional information such as brand names, drug classes, risks and potential side effects.
She said she is amazed by the numbers of physicians who are weighing in daily and by the availability of instant communication between doctor and patient.
Sadick is a freelance reporter for Tribune Newspapers.
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