<There are those that think that by controlling the Practitioners they will own the health portals. What do the consumers have to say about this?>
EQ, it appears that Healtheon, at least, is now not so sure about their original approach of attempting to attract practitioners, and that's why they're going after WebMD and its hoped-for consumer base. There are already several credible companies, and more to come, pitching Internet-based services to practitioners, and a gazillion companies basically offering health information, with occasional varying bells and whistles, to consumers. Consumers have demonstrated, I think, that they are unwilling to pay for this information. Since they are all competing for the same advertising dollar, and will have little or no additional revenue, most of these companies will not survive. I am under the impression that StayHealthy will obtain only a small percentage of its revenues, at least initially, through advertising; the April 28 and May 17 releases reveal two other ways for STAY, unlike any of its nominal competitors, to derive revenues directly from the users of its site. |
