Intel Sees Internet Health Initiative as a Tonic to PC Sales

Andy Grove, chairman of microprocessor behemoth Intel Corp., and C. Everett Koop, former U.S. surgeon general, may seem unlikely collaborators, but Tuesday they will share the podium in San Francisco to launch Intel’s Internet Health Initiative.

“It’s one area that touches the lives of virtually everyone, and at the same time it’s underrepresented on the Net,” said Steven McGeady, vice president and director of the initiative. “Consumers are champing at the bit to get access to health information and services online.”

Intel plans to announce investments in about a dozen companies using the Internet to manage chronically ill patients, sell vitamins and baby supplies and distribute health data to consumers, among other ventures. And it’s providing the marketing muscle to bring this issue into the public eye.

The company previously announced an investment in Newport Beach-based LifeMasters Supported SelfCare Inc., which delivers online support for chronically ill patients--such as helping diabetics or heart patients track their health status and communicate with a triage nurse to determine if or when medical intervention is required.

But why should a chip maker want to jump-start Web-based consumer health services? Cost savings from eliminating unneeded doctor visits are high enough to cover the cost of a PC for each patient, according to McGeady.

“Everybody in this country knows the phrase ‘e-commerce,’ but nobody knows the phrase ‘e-health,’ ” he said. Once they do, Intel hopes a tremendous number of new consumers will want to buy Intel-based PCs.