To deliver the new service, the The New York
Times' deal isn't A.D.A.M.'s first. The company has reached syndication-style agreements with a variety of clients, including health-care organizations, employers, consumers, brokers, and educational
institutions.
advertisement advertisement Its custom publishing unit offers broadcast-ready medical images and animations and marketing materials for print and Web properties. The company also does database consulting and
Web site promotion. One of A.D.A.M.'s most important lines of business is marketing consulting for the health-care industry, including hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and health plans
maintained by insurance companies. One of its early clients was Highmark, a Pennsylvania-based insurance provider, which signed a deal for the company's health content in 2003. Taking a slightly
different route from NYTimes.com, several big consumer magazine publishers have recently opted to buy online health information Web sites outright. In mid-September, Hearst bought RealAge.com, a site
that engages consumers with the promise of a quiz that determines their "real age," based on various health and lifestyle factors. In addition to the eponymous "real age" test, the site offers an
encyclopedic array of health-care information and advice broken down by categories, including age, gender and specific conditions. In June, Meredith Corporation bought Healia.com, a
consumer-health search engine. Meredith President Jack Griffin explained that the health "vertical search" reference site complements the personal health coverage in Meredith's biggest brands, like
Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and Ladies' Home Journal. Meredith is integrating Healia's search technology into its various magazine Web sites.