Treato.com is the Google in Health

A recently launched online solution for patients looks to be precisely what Google Health could have been in leveraging its core competency: search. Treato.com (a creation of a start-up called First Life Research) allows you to search by condition, prescription or other health term all social media data posted by patients. It's a one-stop (social media) data aggregator - like Google is to everything else. Launched at Health 2.0 in San Francisco this week, treato bridges the search gap in a clever way for people in search of the best data regarding a particular symptom, condition, etc.... for everyone in the health care ecosystem. From the press release: First Life Research CEO, Gideon Mantel says that "[t]he social health web is currently estimated at 10 Billion unique patient records, and is expected to grow at a pace of 40%-50% annually. “Up until now, there was no real way to utilize this untapped pool of collective knowledge, [and] treato™ is taking this vibrant, nearly infinite space filled with potentially life-changing insights - and putting it at your fingertips." By enabling instant access to real-life patient experiences with every listed FDA drug, prescribed or OTC, patients can better understand what it means to cope with their medical condition, as well as the effectiveness and side effects of their drugs. In addition, the platform enables an easy comparison between competing medications, providing valuable information for patients considering switching between brands. The press release is here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8815937.htm