At HIMSS08: Learn how to carry each other during a health crisis

HIMSS talked with Eric and Sharon Langshur, founders of CarePages, before the opening of the 2008 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla. CarePages is part of Revolution Health.

Published: 02/26

ORLANDO, FL, USA - (HealthTech Wire) - When Steve Case, founder of Revolution Health and co-founder of AOL, takes to the podium at the 2008 Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference & Exhibition on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 1 p.m., he will talk about many aspects of online access to, and sharing of, health information, including CarePages.com.

Acquired in 2007 by Revolution Health, CarePages provides free, user-friendly Web pages so families and friends can connect and communicate when a loved one is receiving care. This online service now has 3 million registered users in more than 190 countries.

Eric Langshur, and his wife Sharon, a pediatrician, founded CarePages in 2000 after their infant son Matthew was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. They developed their own Web site to share information about their son’s health. The couple heard encouraging and heartwarming remarks from their friends and family, comments they could print and read while at their son’s bedside.  The experience led to the introduction of CarePages, a virtual meeting place on the Web to share news and photos and receive emotional support during a time of need.

“We believe emotional support and community are very important during illness,” said Dr. Sharon Langshur.  “There is no more important moment to be there than when someone gets sick. It is incredibly isolating, and it is when patients and caregivers need support the most.”

A patient service on a core technology platform, CarePages now has nearly 700 hospitals that license and promote this tool. CarePages brands, customizes and manages it to integrate with each hospital’s Web site, said Mr. Langshur, CEO, CarePages, Inc. Hospitals then offer CarePages as a free resource to patients and their caregivers.           

By driving traffic to the Web sites of the subscribing hospitals, CarePages highlights specific programs selected by their customers.  “We provide a powerful link to maximize the investment that our customers have made in their technology,” said Mr. Langshur.  Yet even with the large subscriber base, CarePages remains focused on its mission to make the service available to families everywhere.

Since its acquisition by Revolution Health, CarePages has added new functionality with an online directory where people can find people like themselves, such as someone with cancer or another chronic disease.  The site also has a prayer wall and discussion groups to help users maintain a supportive and learning community.

“It’s wonderful to be part of a larger organization (Revolution Health) that is also mission-driven to revolutionize healthcare, placing the consumer at the center of the experience,” said Mr. Langshur.