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HealthInsuranceFinders.com starts “Know Your Options” Contest for young filmmakers

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healthinsurance.jpgHealthInsuranceFinders.com, a medical insurance hub dedicated to providing resources that help consumers make educated choices about health insurance, has launched the “Know Your Options” Contest to help Americans know where to turn for guidance in finding the right health plan for their needs.

Aspiring directors, cinematographers, scriptwriters, and actors are asked to create a 30 second spot that draws attention to the importance of knowing your options when searching for and choosing a health insurance policy. The grand prize is $3,000 and all entries will be accepted between September 4 and October 15, 2007.

“Over the years we have built a wealth of information and continue to add valuable resources. We are now putting more focus on making sure that this information is easily accessible and presented in ways that make it understandable to the largest percentage of people possible,” said AllHealth Insurance Services Inc Vice President Todd Faucher.

Viral marketing campaigns have become a major thrust both for big and small businesses. It gives companies like HealthFinders.com a chance to connect with upcoming and very creative talents without spending too much money.

Originally posted on September 4, 2007 @ 11:39 pm

Internet leads as primary source for household healthcare information

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burstmedia1.jpgOnline health information is in demand. In fact, four out of five (78.1%) Americans turn to the Internet to gather health information, according to a recent Burst Media study. This massive use of the Internet to collect health information demonstrates the reach and impact the Internet now has into daily life. The Internet is relied upon more than healthcare professionals for family health information, and cited by 45.2% of respondents as the primary place to gather information to help keep their household healthy.

Women in particular are flocking to the Internet for health information. This is particularly true for women between the ages of 25-34 years; of whom nine out of ten (90.1%) seek health information online. Within this important group, nearly two-thirds (64.1%) point to the Internet as the primary resource they turn to for information to keep their household healthy. Other household health resources identified by respondents included: healthcare professionals (23.0%), friends and family (12.9%), television (6.1%), newspapers/magazines (6.1%), and brochures/pamphlets (5.1%).

The frequency of Internet use for health information is also impacted by age. Respondents 18-34 years are the most frequent consumers of online health information, with 40.8% of this group searching online for health information at least once a week – compared to 29.0% of respondents 35 years and older. Interestingly, females 25-34 and males 18-24 are the most frequent consumers of online health information – with 45.5% and 44.3% respectively doing so at least once a week.

Originally posted on August 29, 2007 @ 12:59 pm

Healthcommunities.com, Inc. launches Painchannel.com

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frontpageimage.jpgChronic pain affects more than a quarter of the U.S. population over the age of 20, exceeding the total of Americans affected by cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. To help those dealing with chronic pain effectively work with their pain management team, Healthcommunities.com, Inc. has launched painchannel.com.

Painchannel provides free, up-to-date information and opportunities to share stories and discuss their experiences with one another. The new website offers reliable information about conditions that cause both acute and chronic pain, the treatments used to manage pain, diagnostic techniques, descriptions of pain medications, and a worksheet to help patients work with their pain management team.

“With painchannel, we’re targeting a population that can benefit from both sound medical information and the experience of others who are dealing with pain themselves,” said Stanley J. Swierzewski III, M.D., a practicing physician and the founder of Healthcommunities.com. “Browsers can learn from the physician-monitored content on painchannel, and then read stories of how others have dealt with their pain (or tell their own) in a moderated, edited section of the website called Living with Pain. In addition, browsers can join ongoing discussions in forums addressing specific clinical conditions.”

Originally posted on August 28, 2007 @ 10:17 am

AOL Body launched

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aolbody.jpgAOL announced the launch of its new health site, AOL Body. The web site, which launched in beta in May, provides an in-depth experience dedicated to health needs including easy access to a wide range of information and tips on nutrition, fitness and overall well-being. AOL Body reaches nearly 6 million unique visitors monthly, according to the July 2007 comScore Media Metrix report.

AOL Body’s content providers include Harvard Medical School, Healthday, Healthwise and Rodale, as well as newsfeeds from the Associated Press and Reuters. For search, AOL Body teamed with Healthline to provide users with comprehensive and relevant health search results, including Healthline’s HealthWeb, a collection of 200,000 pre-screened consumer health web sites. AOL Body also hosts original articles, programs and specials such as “America Takes It Off” with fitness trainer Jillian Michaels and “RX for Seasons“ which highlights the best medicines to battle everything from the common cold to allergies.

Originally posted on August 15, 2007 @ 10:02 am

Ask.com launches new Health Smart Answers

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ask.jpgAsk.com is introducing today the new Health Smart Answers that help people find trusted health and medical information faster. Smart Answers are special search results placed at the top of the results page that provide editorially-selected information as well as quick links to authoritative content. The new Health Smart Answers provide quick access to trusted information for a broad range of health-related topics, like diseases, symptoms, treatments and medications.

Originally posted on August 14, 2007 @ 10:43 am