Updates on Iodine and The Remedy

 A quick update on my latest projects.  1) I have a new startup.

Iodine is a health technology company that I've founded with Matt Mohebbi. Iodine mines clinical data to help consumers make better decisions about drugs. We crunch open government datasets (FDA, CMS, VA) to create targeted, actionable tools that drive better decisions, better adherence, and better outcomes. We believe that Iodine will address a massive need among Internet users: 23% are searching for drug information, and half of these are unsatisfied by what they find.

I'm terrifically fortunate to have met Matt, and to have aligned with him in our vision for what Iodine can become. For years, I've advocated a philosophy built around providing individuals with better resources to make better decisions, and Matt is uniquely skilled to actually build such tools. What's more, his formidable engineering skills are perhaps overshadowed by his insights into what healthcare needs, and the potential for a new sort of consumer resource. We're having great fun and are building an incredible, world-class team. For a peek at the philosophy, check our Med Labels, our redesign of the FDA drug labels database. Expect to see the inklings of what we're up to over the next few months.

2) The Remedy is coming.

My next book, The Remedy, is all set for publication on April 3, 2014. You can pre-order the book at Amazon here. The book has had a couple splendid early reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus, which described it quite nicely (and accurately!) as "a beguiling real-life medical detective story." That's exactly what I was aiming for, and it's a real thrill to see that it comes across.

More soon, including an update at some work from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and some insights from Iodine.