| OnHealth.com |
808 Howell St.,
Suite 400,
Seattle,
WA
98101 |
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www.onhealth.com
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(206) 583-0100
Fax: (206) 652-8665
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From multimedia to new media
OnHealth is fighting it out with a panoply of web sites for superiority in the consumer health information business. The company was formerly known as IVI Publishing, a producer of health information CD-ROMs founded in 1991 in Minneapolis. After changing its name to OnHealth in June 1998, the company refocused its business to concentrate on the Internet, and moved its headquarters to Seattle. Providing information on topics ranging from indigestion to osteoporosis, OnHealth is divided into areas like News & Reports and Ask Our Experts, as well as Shopping, where consumers can purchase items from a number of partner sites (including drugstore.com, VitaminShoppe, and WholeFoods). Users can access OnHealth's live shows and chats, which feature health experts in a variety of fields, in addition to a local health directory that provides contact information for hundreds of doctors and health services like fitness programs, pharmacies, and holistic practitioners.
Marketing to the masses
While it offers a well-rounded base of information, OnHealth has done little to truly differentiate itself from the fierce competition ? except for an irreverent marketing campaign that captured audiences' attention during the summer and fall of 1999. The cheeky, edgy advertising ? like the commercial that has members of a family moving a bureau around a bedroom in the hopes of healing their ailing grandmother through feng shui ? caught the attention of web surfers and investors alike. Traffic surged to a million visitors per week by August 1999 and has steadily grown since. OnHealth is now the most visited health and wellness related web site, ahead of falling competitor drkoop.com.
Growing up, and fast
For OnHealth, growth has come both organically and by acquisition. In September 1999, the company bought a web site for expectant parents called BabyData.com, in a stock deal valued at $4.7 million. BabyData's founder, New York obstetrician Amos Grunebaum, joined OnHealth's board as vice president of obstetrics and resident pregnancy expert, and the company's 12 channels were integrated into OnHealth's programming. OnHealth has also expanded through partnerships with a variety of health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and consumer product manufacturers, including SmithKline Beecham, Procter & Gamble, and General Motors. Profits are expected to increase as government regulations ease on filling prescriptions online. Currently, web sites can only direct traffic to traditional pharmacies that then fill the prescription. Onhealth.com has agreed to be acquired by Healtheon/WebMD in as Healtheon/WebMD looks to bring all aspects of health care to the World Wide Web.
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OnHealth lists job openings on its web site for all departments. Prospective employees can e-mail their resumes to jobs@onhealth.com or fax them to (206) 652-8665. With a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental insurance plus 401(k) – not to mention its Seattle location – OnHealth, true to its name, looks after its employees.
Allhealth.com;Americasdoctor.com;Drkoop.com;The Health Network;Intelihealth;Mayohealth.com;Mediconsult.com;WebMD
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