ColumbiaDoctors and Medscape partner to deliver clinical answers and expertise
ColumbiaDoctors and Medscape, the leading source of medical news and information for physicians, today announced a partnership that gives physicians using Medscape Consult access to the expertise of ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Medical Center’s faculty practice.
Beginning today, more than 25 health professionals from ColumbiaDoctors representing specialties including oncology, hematology, endocrinology, and surgery will serve as Medscape chief editors and associate editors on Medscape Consult, Medscape’s innovative peer-to-peer, point-of-care digital platform. Accessible to physicians worldwide, the Medscape Consult editors will respond to questions, share best practices, and offer expert perspectives. Renowned experts in their respective specialties, ColumbiaDoctors will provide the Medscape Consult community with evidence-and practice-based insights into patient care, closely aligning with their basic and clinical research.
“Our new partnership with Medscape enables ColumbiaDoctors to share their insights and perspective with a global physician community facing rapidly shifting clinical concerns,” said John Chabot, MD, chief of the Division of GI/Endocrine Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, and vice president of ColumbiaDoctors.
“We welcome the opportunity to expand our ColumbiaDoctors connections with physicians as they increase their reliance on digital sources of information,” said Gary Schwartz, MD, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center. “Through our partnership, ColumbiaDoctors will harness the power of Medscape Consult to help physicians better address today’s complex patient care questions.”
The Growing Power of Physician Crowdsourcing
Launched in November 2015 within Medscape’s flagship mobile app, Medscape Consult has quickly become a valued clinical resource. Tens of thousands of physicians have leveraged Medscape’s crowdsourcing platform to compare cases, ask questions, and discuss best practices, often relying on Medscape’s robust reference content for additional clinical support.
The recent outbreak of the Zika virus highlighted the potential of the Medscape Consult platform to inform medical professionals about a rapidly developing health concern, more quickly than previously possible. Several weeks before Zika had garnered attention from international health agencies and the mainstream media, a physician in Brazil seeing a spike in infants born with microcephaly posed a question on Medscape Consult seeking insights. A discussion on the link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and microcephaly immediately ensued, providing early clinical knowledge on what would become a worldwide health issue.
“It is a privilege to partner with ColumbiaDoctors, one of the most prestigious medical institutions in the world and its clinical practice leaders,” said Steve Zatz, MD, president, WebMD. “The ColumbiaDoctors partnership further deepens our commitment to ensuring that Medscape Consult provides clinical information that is evidence-based, clinically relevant, and grounded in real-world solutions and strategies.”
According to Ben Greenberg, WebMD vice president, product management and user experience, the Columbia-Medscape Consult partnership will increase the platform’s clinical utility and help improve patient care.
“Given the global nature of medicine and demands on physicians today, we believe that our partnership with Columbia and the power of crowdsourcing through Medscape Consult can deliver meaningful value to the medical community and the patients we collectively serve,” Greenberg said.
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