Web site helps patients' families, medical providers communicate

Created in 2000 at the University of Michigan by a Chicago couple whose newborn was undergoing surgery for a congenital heart defect, the CarePages Web site has transformed healthcare by giving families a free and fast way to communicate with relatives, friends, a patient's medical team, long-lost acquaintances, and strangers. Today, more than 750 U.S. hospitals and 4 million people have used CarePages. It was sold in 2007 to Revolution Health, then sold again last October to Waterfront Media, a large, online health company with 24 sites.