When doctors need advice, it might not come from a fellow human

Long Island dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla knows well how to treat acne, burns and rashes. But when a patient came in with a potentially disfiguring case of bullous pemphigoid—a rare skin condition that causes large, watery blisters—she was stumped. The medication doctors usually prescribe for the autoimmune disorder wasn't available. So she logged in to Modernizing Medicine, a Web-based repository of medical information and insights, for help. Within seconds, she had the name of another drug that had worked in comparable cases. "It gives you access to data, and data is king," she said of Modernizing Medicine. "It's been very helpful especially in clinically challenging situations."