Leading Consumer Health Technology, iTriage, Launches Enhanced Symptom Checker

DENVER, June 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- iTriage®, a market leader in consumer health care technology, today announced the launch of an enhanced symptom checker that allows consumers to input a primary symptom, along with their age, gender and up to two associated symptoms.  Previously, users could search by one symptom at a time. The enhanced system then filters and sorts through vast medical databases to present information about potential causes or conditions.  

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Founded in 2008 by two emergency room physicians, iTriage's free apps and website were designed to help consumers answer the two most common medical questions: "What could be wrong?" and "Where can I go?"

Last year, iTriage hosted more than 50 million sessions.  The top request from iTriage users was to create a system where multiple symptoms could be checked in one connected experience.

"iTriage listens closely to the needs and wants of its users," said Wayne Guerra, M.D., MBA, chief medical officer and co-founder of iTriage.  "We didn't just want to deliver the tool, we wanted to make it smarter and more convenient than anything our users had experienced. If consumers are part of the equation to fixing the health care issues in this country, we need to arm them with the information and access to help them make better health care decisions."

The expanded symptom checker is part of a free suite of iTriage products for consumers available on iOS, Android™ platforms, as well as mobile web and website at www.itriagehealth.com.  Open-source government data was vetted by the iTriage Medical Content Team to improve the symptom checker and address the most common symptoms searched on iTriage in 2012, representing 80 percent of all user queries. 

How the Expanded Symptom Checker Works

To get started, the user selects a primary symptom from the avatar or list of hundreds of symptoms.  The user will then:

• Enter age and sex
• Review list of most common conditions, followed by additional conditions
• Provide feedback on up to two additional symptoms that may be associated with the primary symptom
• Review resorted list of most common conditions generated from additional information provided
• Review suggested types of medical care for possible conditions, and the appropriate facilities and providers for treatment

Critical Symptom + Condition Alert

When a user selects a primary symptom that potentially requires immediate treatment, an alert will prompt the user to:

• View possible medical conditions
• Find a geo-located emergency room
• Call 911

Additionally, medical conditions may be labeled as critical based on the need for urgent or emergent treatment.  Consumers are empowered to make more informed decisions to seek medical help urgently if the condition is flagged with a red marker.

Dr. Guerra and iTriage co-founder, Peter Hudson, M.D., spent 20 years serving as emergency room physicians prior to launching iTriage in 2009. 

"We saw a lot of folks during our tenures as physicians, and many of them lacked access to information that may have changed their behavior toward treatment options," said Dr. Hudson.  "Health care happens while people are living life, and we wanted to provide the comfort of having a mobile tool to understand possible conditions and seek appropriate care when needed." 

What iTriage® Offers Consumers

iTriage focuses on three areas of consumer empowerment:

• Situational: "Having access to information that is actionable is critical to consumers finding the right care at the right time," said Guerra.
• Storage: Securely storing procedures, medical conditions, medications, facilities and providers to help keep information organized and accessible
• Seasonal: Interesting health tips, reminders and articles from the iTriage news stream help consumers make their health a priority

iTriage connects the health care touch points for consumers and features:

• Harvard Medical School-reviewed content to understand symptoms and conditions
• A nationwide physicians and facilities database to locate care
• Appointment booking and advance registration for participating facilities
• Turn-by-turn directions to facilities
• Vast database of home health services, dentists, pharmacies, mental health clinics, substance abuse clinics, community health centers, and outpatient surgery centers and imaging centers
• Pharmacy discount card accepted at more than 95 percent of U.S. pharmacies

iTriage plans to expand the symptom checker further in 2013 across its platforms.

About iTriage
iTriage LLC, an Aetna subsidiary headquartered in Denver, Colo., is a global health care technology company founded in 2008 by two emergency medicine physicians. The company's market-leading platform and mobile/website applications offer a proprietary Symptom-to-Provider™ pathway that empowers consumers to make better health care decisions. iTriage helps people answer the two most common medical questions: "What could be wrong?" and "Where could I go for treatment?" Millions of consumers around the globe have downloaded the free iTriage mobile app through the iTunes App store or Google Play Market, or used the iTriage website at www.itriagehealth.com. In addition, thousands of health care providers already use the iTriage platform to reach more consumers and increase patient engagement.

Media Contact: For interviews, graphics or additional requests, please contact Jennifer Asbury at [email protected] or 303-241-3126.

SOURCE iTriage