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"Online health information is easily accessible, but it may not be accurate or apply to your individual condition. When you need help, the doctor who knows your health record is often hard to reach. \nHospitals aren't particularly tech savvy, so that's why Heritage Group \u2014 a private equity firm with capital from hospitals and other large healthcare service providers \u2014 is investing in Sharecare, an online community where users get health advice from professionals.  \nSee also: 8 Astronomy Apps for Stargazers\nSharecare, founded by Dr. Oz and Jeff Arnold (also the founder of WebMD), built a network of health experts who answer user questions online in order to promote themselves or their practices. With the new funding announced on Thursday, Sharecare plans to close the loop by connecting online engagement with offline experiences.  \n\"People can get advice from national experts [on Sharecare.com], but ultimately they're going to get care from local providers,\" Arnold says. \nThus, new features to the site will include recommendations for local doctors and appointment scheduling, a service also offered by ZocDoc. In addition, hospitals will be able to white-label the Sharecare experience for their websites; instead of going to a hospital website and finding static pages with maps, phone numbers and other information, you will come across a local, health-focused social network. Sharecare already has the Department of Defense on board with a health community specifically for its members. \nOthers in the space include HealthTap, a mobile Q&amp;A app where doctors answer user questions, and Sherpaa, a mobile app that connects patients with doctors but access is provided via your employer as part of a benefits package. \nSharecare's ultimate goal is personalized medicine. Although facilitating doctor's appointments and helping users engage with health information is important, they key is most likely Sharecare's RealAge test, a health assessment that will drive recommendations of the right doctor, fitness program or wearable gadget. The real opportunity for Sharecare is to be at the pivot point of health data \u2014 something many expect will improve the quality of health care. \nWe would be surprised if Sharecare didn't have future plans for mobile. The company isn't announcing details yet, but Arnold confirmed they have something \"massive\" in the works that will bring Sharecare's features and functionality to mobile devices. \nImage: Media for Medical/UIG via Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/09/26/sharecare-funding/>