Navigating Cancer connects patients to care options

What: Navigating Cancer, Seattle

Who: Gena Cook, 42, founder and CEO

Mission: Provide cancer patients with information for their comprehensive care.

Employees: 10

Financials: The venture-funded company provides free service, but "is exploring standard revenue methods, such as subscriptions, advertising and sponsorships," Cook said.

Foundation: Newly diagnosed cancer patients can be frightened and confused by the volume of information, and may lack an easy way to determine their options or understand the treatment.

The site prompts patients to develop a profile, entering specifics and figuring out available options. Cook says this cuts through the confusion, as it provides questions to ask a provider and help patients "connect with their health care."

Location: Cook said her background in medical sales and marketing gives her access to some of the most capable cancer resources in the country. She plans to build alliances with local cancer facilities, but is now connecting with medical centers outside the area.

Information: Each patient gets a concise "care summary," which replaces bulky, overstuffed notebooks that help keep everything organized. "We've found that the time patients spent directly with their provider is the most valuable to them," Cook said. "But these appointments are usually only 15 minutes or so, before the doctor needs to move on to the next patient. So having this data available leads to more focused treatment."

Networking: "Friends don't always know what they can do to help," Cook said. "By providing this information we take down those barriers and let them know what they can do to provide support."

— Charles Bermant