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Tables for:
The Rise and Fall of E-Health: Lessons From the First Generation of Internet Healthcare

[Medscape General Medicine 4(2), 2002. © 2002 Medscape]


Table 1. Select Publicly Traded E-health Companies*


Industry/CompanyMarket Capitalization ($ millions)Decline From High
HighHigh DateCurrent
Online Drugstores
Drugstore.com3,987Aug 99157.896.0%
PlanetRx.com1,301Oct 990.4100.0%
Total5,288
158.297.0%
Information Portals
DrKoop.com1,312Jul 990.1100.0%
HealthGrades.com398Dec 972.399.4%
Mediconsult.com1,295Mar 992.699.8%
Total3,005
4.999.8%
E-Health Services
Cybear329Jul 992.099.4%
Neoforma11,495Feb 00397.996.5%
Total11,825
399.996.6%
Comprehensive e-Health Sites
WebMD36,349May 992,875.492.1%
Total36,349
2,875.492.1%
All Companies56,467 3,438.593.9%

*These e-health companies enjoyed lofty market capitalizations in the late 1990s. The subsequent fall in value was extreme.

Data from Yahoo! Finance as of March 20, 2002.


Table 2. Summary of Online Drugstores


CompanyCompelling ValueRevenue ModelCompetitive BarriersCost ControlOutcome
Drugstore.comNoNoNoNoFailing
PlanetRxNoNoNoNoFailed


Table 3. Summary of Information Portals


CompanyCompelling ValueRevenue ModelCompetitive BarriersCost ControlOutcome
DrKoopYesNoYesNoFailed
HealthgradesYesNoYesNoFailed
MediconsultYesNoYesNoFailed
MDConsultYesYesYesYesSuccess


Table 4. Comprehensive E-health Providers


CompanyCompelling ValueRevenue ModelCompetitive BarriersCost ControlOutcome
WebMDYesYesYesNoSuccess


Table 5. Summary of "Four Factors" Performance, All Sectors*


CompanyIndustryCompelling ValueRevenue ModelCompetitive BarriersCost ControlTotal AchievedOutcome
MDConsultPortalYesYesYesYes4Success
WebMDComprehensiveYesYesYesNo3Success
DrKoop.comPortalYesNoYesNo2Failed
HealthGradesPortalYesNoYesNo2Failed
MediConsultPortalYesNoYesNo2Failed
Drugstore.comDrugstoreNoNoNoNo0Failing
PlanetRxDrugstoreNoNoNoNo0Failed

*E-health start-ups that achieved more of the factors performed better.