The website was developed by digital health startup HealthTap, a website that allows user to submit questions that will be answered through a video conference with a peer-reviewed doctor to avoid misconceptions of vague symptoms. RateRx is intended to create greater transparency of the costs and effects of particular medications, according to Wired.
RateRx is among a wave of companies that aim to increase healthcare transparency. PatientsLikeMe and Walgreens have partnered to publish patient experiences with medications on Walgreens’ health dashboard so users can search any medication for patient reviews. Iodine, another startup, crowdsources patient reviews of various medications and publishes them with clinical trial data and pharmacists’ input, according to the report.
RateRx allows for the information to change over time as well, as drugs are improved and new clinical trial information emerges. The ratings, listed alongside the medication, are based on an average of 63 physician reviews, which have also been vetted, according to the report.
“Healthcare is like a black box,” Ron Gutman, CEO of HealthTap, told Wired. “We’re buying blind. But obviously there are opinions out there, and there are multiple medications to treat certain things. It’s good if we get informed about the state of the art in healthcare today.”
