New Site Enables Cancer Patients to Organize Their Health Records Online, Partner More Closely with Their Physicians, and Connect with Other Cancer Patients to Learn and Share
Seattle, WA, January 19, 2010 – Navigating Care announced today the public beta launch of its new, free website specifically for cancer patients, www.navigatingcare.com. Navigating Care provides essential cancer-related information from authoritative sources to help patients learn about their options once diagnosed, and tools for patients to partner with their physicians, allowing them to be more in control of their cancer treatment and care. Navigating Care also provides a forum for patients to connect with other cancer patients to learn and share from their experiences, ask for help when needed and keep loved ones updated on their journey.
"In the next 12 months, over 1.4 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone. In fact, the odds of someone being diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life are a staggering 45%," said Gena Cook, co-founder and chief executive officer of Navigating Care. "Unlike other health sites, with Navigating Care, patients are armed with cancer specific information, resources and tools needed to make better, more informed decisions, partner with their physicians to manage better care, and stay connected with their support network during their journey."
Today, on Navigating Care, patients can create a secure personal health record by entering health information, medicines, treatment regimens, doctor's appointments, and other pertinent information about their treatment and care. With the Daily Health Tracker tool, patients can keep a daily record of their symptoms and side effects to create a summary report that can be printed and taken to their doctor's appointments. This report ensures a more productive meeting with their doctors and helps identify important health trends during treatment. Personal health records are securely stored and are only available, if a patient chooses, to a designated care giver. Over time, Navigating Care will introduce an automated system that will allow doctors and patients to share health records and information electronically.
"With Navigating Care, I'm able to organize my complete health record for my journey with stomach cancer. My treatments and medications are organized in one place and the Daily Health Tracker is a good way for me to stay diligent in monitoring myself on my road to recovery," says Frank L., a cancer survivor.
Navigating Care cuts through the clutter of the overwhelming and sometimes inaccurate information found on the Web. The information found on the site comes from authoritative sources like the National Cancer Institute, which minimizes the learning curve for patients when first diagnosed so they can quickly get up to speed on their specific type and stage of cancer. The site can also provides detailed information about possible side effects for a specific treatment.
Navigating Care also serves as a forum for cancer patients to connect with other patients with the same type and stage of cancer, allowing patients to discover and share experiences through groups and discussion boards. Some groups are led by cancer specific non-profits including GRACE, Caring for Carcinoid Foundation, Cancer Lifeline and The Prostate NET. Through these groups and discussions, patients can learn about important resources, new treatment regimens and other critical information. Cancer patients can also use their personal profile page to keep their support network up to date and ask for help when needed.
About Navigating Care
Navigating Care is dedicated to empowering cancer patients to navigate their best care. Navigating Care is a free web application that offers personalized tools and authoritative cancer resources to help patients take control of their health and partner more closely with their physicians, support network and other like patients. The company was founded in 2008 by technology and healthcare veterans and is based in Seattle, Washington.
Media Contact:
Kathryn Kelly
408-718-9043
kathryn@navigatingcancer.com