at peace with the situation they're in," he explains.
In times of crisis, caregivers enter the situation armed with a medical history and up-to-date information. "People like me who are distant from our parents can get the peace of mind that not only is their nurse caring for them, but also we have access to their medical information if we need it, should there ever be an emergency," says Selecky, whose mother lives on the East Coast and is enrolled in LifeMasters programs for diabetes and high blood pressure.
Despite the interest in Web-based caregiving, there are drawbacks. Chief among them is access. E-mail isn't dependable for time-critical messages, says Ron Moran, president of MedPrompt, a Houston company that markets phone-based pager prompts to remind patients to take their medication. "The technology isn't there yet." Moran adds that a significant percentage of MedPrompt's customers aren't computer-savvy.
Demographics are one reason more Web-based innovations for caregivers don't exist, but they're not the only reason, says Gomez Advisors analyst David Steele. First, consumers have to be sure their medical information is secure - a concern organizations like the American Medical Association (dossier) are working to address.
And because people are most likely to hear about innovations from their health care providers, Steele says, medical institutions need to sell their doctors and staff on the new technology's benefits. "A lot of these services are tied to doctors' offices," he explains. "Companies need to demonstrate a superior product that will improve care, save them time and save money."
Insurance companies are singing the show-me-the-money refrain. "It's a matter of who's going to pay," says Steele. "If you say the insurance company is going to pay, you have to convince them it's going to save money."
Steele expects a viable security solution next year, followed by a rollout of technologies to insurance companies and physicians. Then look for an onslaught of companies to propose solutions to caregiver dilemmas.
Meanwhile, Wehner will be watching the Web, even after her daughter goes off to college next year. That is, unless Brianne changes her LifeChart password.
Lain Chroust Ehmann is a Boston writer who specializes in health and technology.
