My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think • Hacker News Board

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#81

Post by Sharma » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 2:54 AM UTC

ceejayoz wrote: post #34

Sharma wrote: post #27

Idea is great. But I feel pricing model needs a revisit. For patients with some serious ailments this is all fine but what about less serious issues like..a person with allergies, thyroid, migraine etc. These are kinds of things which bother people but still not enough to spend 5000 for analysis. Probably a profile based pricing is a good idea? Just a thought.

A person with allergies, migraines, etc. is almost certainly better served by going to their general practitioner for a $20 copay.

Well I am not saying no options available. This service says they use research, data analysis etc. I am sure 20 copay will not get you that.

So my point was to pay more that 20 but less than given minimum 5000.

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#82

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 2:58 AM UTC

Googling for "Hank Gardstein MD" finds only a Henry (for which Hank is a nickname) Gardstein (http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-henry-gardstein-xcs...) with the same school of medicine, medical specialty, and rough date of beginning of practice as that of the profile on MetaMed.

That doctor was disbarred (http://w3.health.state.ny.us/opmc/factions.nsf/cd901a6816701...) for writing online pharmacy prescriptions.

Same guy?

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#83

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:04 AM UTC

Sharma wrote: post #81

ceejayoz wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A person with allergies, migraines, etc. is almost certainly better served by going to their general practitioner for a $20 copay.

Well I am not saying no options available. This service says they use research, data analysis etc. I am sure 20 copay will not get you that. So my point was to pay more that 20 but less than given minimum 5000.

An allergist is likely to have plenty of access to research, data analysis, etc. about their specialty, and cost significantly less than $5,000.

$5,000 would buy me consultations with 250 allergists, who'd likely be basing their conclusions on the same sort of research available to the health researchers at MetaMed, as well as it being their actual medical specialty.

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#84

Post by scottjad » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:06 AM UTC

logjam wrote: post #67

MD here. The headline on your webpage: "For serious medical conditions, you need direct access to the world’s best researchers ." [my emphasis added] Pardon my skepticism, but that sentence and the rest of your not-functioning-very-well website smell of nothing more than an attempt to ripoff very vulnerable people, and other marketing bullshit. But do please prove me wrong - kindly link to the world-class research yo…

From the page titled "Our Scientists, Doctors, and Researchers"

  programmer
  gamer
  mba
  programmer
  student/mathematics
  student/medicine
  md/recent grad
  student/medicine
  econ BA/finance (labeled researcher)
  marine biologist (labeled researcher)
  industrial engineer/entrepreneur (labeled senior researcher)
  econ BA/event planner
  student/philosophy+neuroscience+law (labeled researcher)
  md/recent grad (labeled researcher)
  eagle scout/philosopher (labeled researcher)
  graphic designer
  md/practicioner
  novelist
  phd molecular biologist/recent grad  (labeled researcher)
  programmer (labeled researcher)
  college research assistant  (labeled researcher)
  blogger
  programmer

http://www.metamed.com/our-scientists-doctors-researchers

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#85

Post by mindcrime » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:09 AM UTC

carbocation wrote: post #72

apsec112 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are many conditions which are extremely common, but for which more effective treatments don't propagate to patients. About 5% of the US population has clinical depression, for example, and writing gratitude letters has been shown in studies to be quite effective at treating depression (more so than drugs or therapy). Yet, most patients don't know about it.

> writing gratitude letters has been shown in studies to be quite effective at treating depression (more so than drugs or therapy) I could not find a publication supporting that assertion after a brief pubmed search. Can you provide one?

A quick Google search turns this up:

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10902-011-9257-7

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#86

Post by carbocation » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:11 AM UTC

mindcrime wrote: post #85

carbocation wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> writing gratitude letters has been shown in studies to be quite effective at treating depression (more so than drugs or therapy) I could not find a publication supporting that assertion after a brief pubmed search. Can you provide one?

A quick Google search turns this up: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10902-011-9257-7

Yes, I did see that, but it doesn't address the important part of the assertion (more so than drugs or therapy) so to be charitable, I assume the OP has a different reference in mind.

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#87

Post by michaelhoffman » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:11 AM UTC

apsec112 wrote: post #71

logjam wrote: post #67

MD here. The headline on your webpage: "For serious medical conditions, you need direct access to the world’s best researchers ." [my emphasis added] Pardon my skepticism, but that sentence and the rest of your not-functioning-very-well website smell of nothing more than an attempt to ripoff very vulnerable people, and other marketing bullshit. But do please prove me wrong - kindly link to the world-class research yo…

Our consultant network includes Nobel laureates, heads of biology departments, famous professors, and as top-rate people as one can find. They aren't on the first version of the site because a) they're not full-time employees - being very busy, they usually only have a few hours a week - and b), before you ask someone to be on a website, you first have to show them the site, and the site's only been up for about twel…

It's very hard to discuss the facts when you withhold them. I would like to know who these Nobel laureates are. If they have examined your service but do not have enough confidence in it to be associated with it publicly that is interesting information.

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#88

Post by raddoc » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:15 AM UTC

I like the idea in concept but have a couple critiques.

1) Pricing- even the most basic package is ridiculous. For $5000 I would not only fly to your city to spend as much time with you in a face-to-face meeting discussing your medical problems, but I would give you my personal cell phone number for any questions or concerns at a later date.

2) Chart reviews- I don't know the credentials of the people doing the reviews, but I am highly suspect of anyone other than a board certified physician in a given specialty providing medical advise or in any way guiding diagnostic decisions.

Having said that, I think there is real opportunity here. I wish you the best of luck.

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#89

Post by robbiep » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:25 AM UTC

Mycroft65536 wrote: post #79

carbocation wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most things with evidence are readily accepted in modern medicine. Is there an alternative medicine treatment with good evidence that is nevertheless rejected by modern medicine that you can think of as an example?

Foxglove for heart disease. FDA approved and doctors don't recommend it enough.

Foxglove is a really silly idea as a herbal medicine because it is available in a quantified purified form from the pharmacy called digoxin and you will minimise the change of running out of the very narrow therapeutic window that digoxin is both efficacious and non-toxic within.

Side effects of digitalis (the active component) toxicity include but are not limited to DEATH

Saying take foxglove instead of digitalis is kind of like saying take willow bark instead of aspirin, but potentially MUCH MORE DANGEROUS.

If what you mean to say is 'we shiuldnt give profits to the pharmaceutical-medical-industrial complex because I believe it is acting against my best interests' then go ahead and say so; however if thr best example of an 'alternative' medicine being efficacious or safer is foxglove you are woefully underinformed

As the saying goes, alternative medicine that works becomes medicine. That is digoxin

Re: My new medical research startup launches today: let me know what you think

#90

Post by michaelhoffman » Thu, Feb 28, 2013, 3:35 AM UTC

ibdthor wrote: post #14

Not to be that guy, but on the Overview page for Patients & Caregivers, in the picture with the two women, it says "treatment regime" - I believe it should be "treatment regimen".

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary lists "regime" as a synonym for "regimen."

Don't be that guy.