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The Council for Open Standards in Online Healthcare Aims to Revolutionize Access and Data Exchange

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the online healthcare sector continues to grow, five prominent healthcare, technology, and Internet companies have joined forces to establish The Council for Open Standards in Online Healthcare. The council's mission is to create an environment where healthcare systems and service providers can work together seamlessly, enabling the best-of-breed choices for online healthcare consumers. By establishing a common set of standards, the council hopes to foster interoperability and facilitate the open exchange of information between vendors, benefiting both industry participants and consumers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Council for Open Standards in Online Healthcare has been formed by five leading healthcare, technology, and Internet companies: LifeMasters(R) Supported SelfCare(SM), Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), MedicaLogic, Inc., The Health Network, and Sutter Health Systems.
  • The council aims to establish a standardized operating platform that enables the open exchange of information between vendors, improving access and quality of healthcare services.
  • The council hopes to influence other vendors to move away from proprietary, closed systems and adopt open standards for data exchange.
  • LifeMasters(R) Supported SelfCare(SM) has patented technology that monitors patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease, using interactive voice response and a touch-tone telephone.
  • The Health Network is the leading consumer-health destination on television and the Internet, providing credible, easy-to-understand health news and information 24 hours a day.
  • Sutter Health Systems is the seventh largest health care network in the U.S. and operates 26 acute care hospitals, 8 long-term care centers, and numerous outpatient care centers in Northern California, Southern Oregon, and Hawaii.
  • HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000, with revenue of $47.1 billion in its 1998 fiscal year.

Statistics:

  • HP has 123,500 employees worldwide.
  • Sutter Health serves hundreds of Northern California communities, from the Oregon border to the San Joaquin Valley, and from the Pacific coast to the Sierra foothills.
  • LifeMasters has established a network of over 5,000 physicians and has a database of patients with chronic conditions.
  • The Health Network is available in more than 17.5 million homes via cable and satellite.

Sources:

  • "Council for Open Standards in Online Healthcare Formed" [Inactive PRNewswire link]
  • About LifeMasters: "About Us - LifeMasters" [http://www.lifemasters.net](http://www.lifemasters.net)
  • About The Health Network: "About Us - TheHealthNetwork.com" [http://TheHealthNetwork.com](http://TheHealthNetwork.com)
  • About Sutter Health Systems: "About Us - Sutter Health" [http://www.sutterhealth.org](http://www.sutterhealth.org)
  • About HP: "About Us - Hewlett-Packard Company" [http://www.hp.com](http://www.hp.com)
  • About MedicaLogic: "About Us - MedicaLogic, Inc." [http://www.medicalogic.com](http://www.medicalogic.com)

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