A Dr, Patient & Insurer Walk into a Social Network

What happens next? Mobile, social and peer-to-peer tools are blowing up politics, news, and entertainment. But what about health care? Why is it that you can connect with everyone you know online except for your doctor or your health insurance company? Why is it easier to update your status on Facebook than it is to update your health history? Why do clipboards and paper forms still play a prominent role in the doctor's office? On the flip side, patients and caregivers who have their lives on the line are literally putting their lives online. Research shows that if you enable an environment in which people can share, they will. The benefits of that sharing will entice others to join and there is mounting evidence that sharing is, in fact, caring. When people connect with the right tool, the right advice, or the right person who is just ahead of them on a treatment path, their health outcomes improve. Everyone - clinicians, health insurance companies, patients -- know we need to figure this out. So what's going to happen in that bar? A fistfight? A love connection?