FROM THE FOUNDATION

The Social Life of Health Information

A new Pew Internet/CHCF national survey finds the Internet has joined doctors and family members as one of the top three ways people search for answer to their health care questions.

Evaluating One-e-App

CHCF and The California Endowment funded the development of One-e-App, a Web-based program that enables users to apply for multiple public insurance programs at once. Read a business case assessment by The Lewin Group.

Privacy, Security, and the Stimulus Bill

The recently enacted economic stimulus legislation includes a number of improvements to federal health privacy law. This brief looks at issues of privacy and security in the wake of ARRA.

Patient Safety

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Online Database of Foreign Health Data To Aid Travelers Abroad

Medex Global Group, a provider of emergency medical assistance and insurance, is partnering with Harvard Medical International, a subsidiary of Harvard Medical School, to offer an online database of information about foreign health care for travelers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The database, called Medex 360m, offers detailed advice for travelers on health risks and recommended immunizations for particular countries, as well as lists of recommended hospitals in some countries. Travelers also can use the site to create personalized reports on advice about certain medical conditions, such as heart or lung ailments.

Users will have to purchase a travel-insurance policy, which costs about $2 to $4 per day for each trip, to access the information. Each country report then costs about $10, or slightly less for customers that purchase multiple reports. Corporate clients do not pay any additional charges to use the database, the Journal reports.

Other online sources for foreign health information include the CDC's database of disease and vaccination information on its Web site, but CDC's recommendations are general, according the Journal. MedjetAssist, a membership-based emergency medical evacuation company, also offers general travel advice online, but customers have to call a company representative to get information about hospitals in certain countries, the company says.

Medex 360m was made available to business clients on Tuesday and will become available to other individuals by Jan. 1, 2008 (Everson, Wall Street Journal, 9/11).



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