An eCooperative for Medical Societies

In a venture that will allow medical societies to access technology information and provide enhanced member services, nine medical organizations announced creation of the Medical Society eCooperative in January. Participants will provide members with individualized Internet portals for information access and connectivity services. With the portals, members can provide their patients or clients with customized Web sites.

Stu Charney, executive director of emerging technologies at Pharmacia, was one of the early originators of the idea. He explains that the motivating factor for eCooperative creation was medical societies' search for improved ways for their members to access relevant, reliable, and pertinent information. Having had a long-standing relationship with physician societies, Pharmacia brought several groups together to discuss how their members' information needs could be best served. The premise arose concerning formation of a coalition of societies to take advantage of cutting-edge technology. "We then presented this concept of building a...