Test Driving Health 1.0 Startup - iGuard Gives Full Disclosure

I don't know if the iGuard crew read my "Open Letter to Health 2.0 Companies," but someone's finally getting this transparency thing right.

At least you know what you're getting into when you sign up for iGuard.com - but will anyone use the service after checking what's under the hood?

From the site:

Terms of service
	I understand that iGuard is not a substitute for professional medical advice and that I should always seek the advice of a qualified health provider before making any changes to my treatment.
	I understand that iGuard cannot and does not take into consideration every possible interaction or account for individual responses to medicine.
	I understand that the absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient.
	I understand that deidentified data collected by iGuard may be used for research purposes to improve knowledge of drug safety.
	I understand that the use of the iGuard site and its content is at my own risk.
	I agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy

This is also the first site I've seen provide an appropriately simplistic reminder that users should sign up using a PERSONAL email address rather than a WORK email address:

"Register now to get:

• Medication safety checks that scan for drug-drug and drug-health interactions
  
  
• Clinically reviewed safety alerts & recalls for your medications
  
  
• Access to real world feedback from other patients like you
  

If you're worried about providing your contact information, click here to read about the steps we've taken to protect your privacy.

NOTE: We strongly recommend using a personal email address rather than a work address to receive safety alerts about your drugs! "

And yes, I signed up. I entered two 'medications' in Step 2:

1. Ibuprofen
2. Glucosamine Chondroitin

Step 3 made me pause, but again, the simple, clear language makes this app very easy to use:

"Please enter your age, sex and race, and check off any conditions which apply to you (optional) and could affect the safety of your medications."

Cool feature here - ability to link to PCP:

Please keep my doctor informed by copying them on all safety alerts that apply to my medications. We strongly recommend that your doctor be copied on all alerts.


Aha, so this is how they'll bring in the bucks:

Please keep me informed about research activities that may be relevant to my health and safety.

Please keep me informed about medical education opportunities that may be relevant to my health.

Please keep me informed about special offers and promotions that may be relevant to my health.

Just when I was starting to get excited about a non-ad/data-monetizing based revenue model...but the iGuard team takes a big step in the right direction by disclosing the business model and partners:

"At iGuard.org, we feel strongly that connecting patients and researchers will allow us to do better, faster and more cost-effective research. To cover the cost of operating our efficiently structured service, iGuard.org will soon begin to offer customized drug safety studies, risk management programs, and other research programs. We are confident that these research opportunities will cover the cost of our communication network and help improve the safety of medicines. Register today to get personalized safety information and begin sharing feedback about your medications."

I'll kick the tires a bit and see what she's got.