A Guide to Health Info in Cyberspace

The Internet has vast amounts of medical resources -- more than you may have ever imagined -- and it could be time to start taking advantage of all that's out there.

Here's a guide to some of the many topics and services you can find online.

General Information

A great place to start your Web health search would be the Internet-based specialist medical resource companies such as Healthline, Revolution Health and WebMD, which cover everything from symptoms of an illness to pregnancy advice, pill checking and so much more.

Personal Health Records

Personal health record suppliers are also taking steps to become more accessible. Bio-Imaging Technology(BITI) subsidiary CapMed is working with Microsoft HealthVault (MSFT), and MyMedicalRecords.com is working with Google Health(GOOG) to expand the field.

Insurers

Health-insurance companies such as Humana (HUM) and United Health (UNH) are investing large amounts of time and money in Web sites. They include the basics such as maintaining health records in a database available online, offering easy access to required forms and listing doctors who offer services under your health plan.

Aetna (AET) takes a step further for some of its clients who can not only link to claims handling but also, through RelayHealth, make appointments with their doctor or even experience online consulting, prescription processing and see their own personal health records.

Media Companies

Don't imagine that the media is ignoring health. In fact the mainstream media outlets such as CNN have dedicated areas of their Web sites specifically to health. They are able to invest in having media doctors, panelists and guest writers providing insights for our apparently insatiable appetite.