the Digital Town Hall

The Internet can have a profound impact on the health of large numbers of people and can change the lives of patients that physicians see every day. As a physician for over three decades, one thing has become clear to me – that more and more people do not get the support they need to be healthy. About five years ago, I realized that new and better ways were needed to reach patients to help empower them to help themselves prevent illness, and to support them as they struggled to limit the ravages of their own diseases. I soon realized that the Internet was the best way to effectively reach the most people to do the most good.

I created a technology company, DPS Health, to bring people high-quality affordable ways to be healthy by integrating the use of technology into our patient care.

In order for DPS Health to continue our work, we need an Internet which gives everyone easy access to high-quality connections, allows the free flow of timely and accurate information, and provides personalized and timely delivery of the content that each person needs. We need an Internet that is designed to encourage the development and spread of real innovations, and we need an Internet that encourages users to engage with technology in a way that brings real value to the person using it.

Technology allows patients not only to seek out information, but to enroll in online programs that personalize information, so setting a specific course of action and monitoring progress can be done online. With the Internet, patients can easily and accurately keep track of their performance, link directly to family and friends for critical support, and link to their many providers to help integrate medical care with everyday life.

In other words, the Internet can extend the practice of medicine. It will mimic what skilled clinicians --doctors , nurses, therapists, educators, dietitians -- do, but at a fraction of the cost and in a more convenient way.

I am not saying that we should eliminate doctor- patient interactions. On the contrary, patients should have the freedom to choose which way they want to receive the support they need to be healthy and successful.

The innovations we at DPS Health and others are creating will no doubt transform the way we have our needs meet. I am confident that with increasing access to an affordable and accessible Internet, we will improve the well-being of people everywhere.