Stanford University Launches e-SKOLAR for Physicians: Online Medical Information and Continuing Education

Stanford University has launched e-SKOLAR, a for-profit internet company that provides physicians with access to medical information online while earning continuing medical education (CME) credits. The company will debut its first product, Stanford SKOLAR MD, in July, which will enable doctors to search for information simultaneously across multiple medical databases, full-text journals, textbooks, and clinical guidelines. Phyllis Gardner, MD, senior associate dean for education and student affairs at Stanford's School of Medicine, emphasized the high quality of the information, citing its peer-reviewed nature and the speed and indexing features that set Stanford SKOLAR apart from competitors like Healtheon/WebMD.

Key Takeaways:

• The service was developed four years ago for Stanford's physicians and medical students, who have been using it since 1998.
• Physicians can earn CME credits for accessing and learning information online, with the number of credits available based partly on the amount of time spent learning online.
• e-SKOLAR will earn money from subscription fees ($240 annually per physician) and fees associated with developing its CME service.
• The company is 60% owned by Stanford and the remainder by private investors.
• The product, Stanford SKOLAR MD, is a high-speed medical search service that allows doctors to search for information simultaneously across multiple medical databases, full-text journals, textbooks, and clinical guidelines.

Statistics:

• The service has been in development for four years.
• Physicians have been using the service since 1998.
• The annual subscription fee for physicians is $240.
• e-SKOLAR will earn money from fees associated with developing its CME service.
• The company is 60% owned by Stanford, with the remainder by private investors.

Sources:

• http://www.eskolar.com/
• Beginning of the text, explicitly mentioned "Stanford's School of Medicine"; not a direct source, but a reference to the source.