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Investor Builds Social Media Site for Chronic Illnesses

Posted by med3q in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Jul 09, 2007

LACK OF SUPPORT, USEFUL TOOLS FOR CHRONIC CONDITION MOVED INVESTOR TO BUILD HEALTH-FOCUSED SOCIAL MEDIA SITE

FORT WORTH, Texas (July 9, 2007) – Life changed profoundly for W. Harwood (“Woody”) Runner in April 2006.

That month, the Fort Worth-based investor was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. His body was no longer making insulin, the hormone that regulates metabolism and is critical to maintaining blood glucose levels.

Runner became another statistic: one more among the estimated 20.8 million Americans who have either his form of diabetes, or type 2, in which the body makes insulin but is not able to use it.

What did not follow the shattering news motivated Runner to establish med3q, a new social media website aimed at doctors and health-conscious consumers.

“After my diagnosis, I was handed a blood glucose monitor, given a brief set of instructions, and was told to monitor my diet closely,” Runner recalls. “A specialist was to determine my insulin regimen at a later date. All I had was a 3 x 5 logbook that came with the monitor, and I was told I was in charge.

“In charge of what, I asked myself. How was I supposed to do this?”

Dismayed, Runner could not believe that the glucose monitor and logbook were the lone tools he possessed to manage an insidious disease – the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. Diabetes required a sea change in his diet and lifestyle for him to avoid becoming another statistic as a victim of its many complications.

He plunged into extensive research about his condition, but was quickly overwhelmed. There was a great deal of information available, but it was invariably tied to a certain product or device, limiting its applicability and functionality for the larger community of diabetics.

As he continued learning about his condition, Runner realized that he and others managing chronic conditions truly needed a functional Web-based healthcare community. This community should give them 21st century analytic tools to track and report their conditions. It should also provide a platform for social networking and daily exchanges between those with chronic ailments so they could support each other. Most people with a chronic disease have multiple health and lifestyle issues, so a disease-specific site wouldn’t serve the purpose of improving everyone’s well-being.

His experience as a healthcare industry executive (he was acting CEO of Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles familiar with the issues of managing a physician practice) inspired Runner to add another major component to his functional healthcare community. Physicians would benefit from same kind of social networking available at the site for members who are not healthcare professionals. Doctors could find expert advice about all aspects of practice management, too. All site users would benefit from better communications among credentialed healthcare professionals and between those professionals and their patients.

The concept behind med3q.com was born.

Today, med3q is a rapidly growing online community of doctors, physician-extender staff and health-conscious people dedicated to improving the quality of their lives. The free social media site provides social-networking platforms to give members a chance to share their healthcare stories and learn from others’ experiences. The site also offers tools for lifestyle improvement, health management and problem solving for living better with a wide range of chronic diseases and conditions.

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