Aetna To Launch Personalized Health Search Engine for Group Plan Members

Aetna To Launch Personalized Health Search Engine for Group Plan Members in Group Health Insurance

Aetna, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, will soon release a new personalized health search engine for members. The engine, SmartSource, will provide more relevant search results based upon personal health conditions.

SmartSource was created by medical database software developer, Healthline, reported The New York Times. It takes previous records and medical test results to serve more specific answers.

“If your record shows you suffer from sinusitis, a symptom search for ‘headache‘ would tend to favor sinus pain over brain tumors,” wrote the WSJ Health Blog.

The new search software has already been tested by Aetna’s employees, and it’s ready to be rolled out for group plan members.

The tool will be quite interactive — allowing users to look up popular medications for a particular condition, nearby physicians specializing in the searched condition, and information on disease management programs.

Critics question whether SmartSource will actually be effective in providing relevant results. One doctor at the Gartner Group technology consulting firm said the records Aetna and Healthline uses is 15 to 45 days old.

He also pointed out the information gives a limited look into a person’s health profile.

The search tool will also use electronic medical records, which brings up the natural worry of patient privacy.

Aetna and Healthline argue SmartSource won’t save the query results, and it doesn’t know which member is conducting the search.

“We need to develop a relationship with our members based on trust,” said vice president for Aetna’s online programs, Meg McCabe.

They also contend the technology won’t be used to find records and set insurance rates — it’s to help members be more engaged and active in their own health care.

“We make sure the information is secured and shared, based on the member’s purposes,” McCabe added.

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