If Twitter can be used to track packages, publish school menus and crowdfund startups, why not help tackle the US healthcare crisis too? Cell phones are already changing the way healthcare is delivered in the developing world, after all, and now Twitter promises to transform the delivery of healthcare information for stateside consumers.

ASKch is a new service from Nashville-based healthcare information provider Change:Healthcare that allows users to send quick healthcare questions via Twitter and have them answered within 60 seconds. Consumers can simply tweet a question such as, “what is diabetes” to @askch, which is now in beta; in return, they get a short description of the disease and a link to more information. Those seeking prescription pricing information in a particular ZIP code area, on the other hand, can tweet “cost of celebrex near 37209,” prompting the service to tweet back, “average price of $163 in 37209″ in return. Questions must be formatted according to predefined types, which currently include: what is (health issue); what is (drug name); cost of (drug name) near (zipcode); generic for (drug name); and generic discounts for (drug name) near (zipcode). Over time, however, Change:Healthcare plans to expand those possibilities.

The new application is just the first phase of what will ultimately be a much larger service from Change:Healthcare that aims to help consumers "be more informed and potentially save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars," the company says. Where else could Twitter be used to answer consumers' standard questions quickly and in real time...? (Related: In-home STD tests with results by text message.)

Website: ask.changehealthcare.com
Contact: company.changehealthcare.com/contact

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Orggit offers a new take on web-based information storage. We've already seen this service in a several guises: from ultra-secure 'memory' storage inside a Swiss mountain, to an online locker for loved ones to open after the user's death. Orggit's unique selling point is the In Case of Emergency (ICE) card that it supplies with every subscription. Using the card, medical personnel can call a dedicated helpline and quote the member's ID code to gain access to all of their medical vitals, which could be a lifesaver. In case of a lost wallet, the good samaritan who finds it can also call the helpline and Orggit will arrange an owner-wallet reunion.

Orggit is essentially a consumer-friendly rebranding of parent company Morgan Street Document Systems' core service, which it has operated for high-end clients since 2003. As the online information storage industry goes mainstream, Orggit is aiming to appeal to the masses by offering them a comprehensive and highly-organised place to store critical data. In addition to medical records, there's a wallet section for storing card and ID data, an 'accounts and codes' area and a virtual filing cabinet that can hold about 10,000 documents. A free Orggit iPhone app—rapidly becoming a web start-up essential—gives users mobile access.

Annual subscription to Orggit's service costs USD 49.99. This includes the ability to add up to 10 users and manage access rights for each user. While consumers are overwhelmed with places to store data online for free (email providers, Google Docs etc.), Orggit's core value is in the structure and security it provides. The ICE card gives further peace of mind to users. One to localize for other languages and regions?

Website: www.orggit.com
Contact: info@orggit.com

Spotted by: Jonathan Pirc

Offering a professional alternative to working from the nearest Starbucks, a new service from iStopOver makes it easy for people to rent (very) short-term business space worldwide. Created by Canadian tech enterprise Brightspark, the website provides a fully-automated service that connects offices with office-needers. Listing is free for hosts, while guests are charged a 6–11% service fee.

Rental terms can range anywhere from a few hours to several months, with spaces for rent including warehouses, boardrooms, offices, desks—even parking spaces. Users can refine their search according to particular requirements, such as wifi access, phone systems, catering, etc. (The service was launched two months ago, so available properties are still limited.) Guests and hosts can communicate through the site to exchange details. The booking process is automated, and iStopOver handles all payments online, only releasing payment to the host when they enter a reservation code given to them by the guest on arrival. This acts as a security measure for guests, giving them the option to leave without revealing their reservation code if the workspace doesn't match up to its description. The benefits? Those without offices gain access to a suitable working environment and professional image, while hosts can make money from empty spaces.

iStopOver for Office Rentals is an expansion of iStopOver's original home rental model. Both share features with services we've covered before on Springwise, but iStopOver looks to be growing into a one-stop solution for short-term rentals. One to partner with regionally? (Related: Helping consumers rent out unused space, Office space rented out by the desk, Parking and zipping)

Website: www.istopover.com/office
Contact: www.istopover.com/office/contact_us

Spotted by: Mark Skapinker

Seat Geek is a free service that helps users find tickets when they're cheapest. Currently focused on Major League Baseball games and select concerts in the US, Seat Geek employs a sophisticated algorithm to predict whether the price of a queried ticket is set to rise or fall—similar to what Bing Travel (formerly Farecast) does for flight tickets. If the price is expected to go down, users can sign up to receive a free email alert when it's at rock bottom. Seat Geek also scours the web in for the best deals at any moment, linking to affiliated ticket merchants like StubHub, RazorGator and eBay.

Seat Geek's patent-pending algorithm draws on a large pool of data that includes millions of historical ticket transactions. This data is crunched together with other factors, such as, for baseball games: team statistics, the weather, the venue, the price-level of the seat—even who'll be pitching. According to SeatGeek co-founder Jack Groetzinger, the algorithm is accurate 80% of the time, and it's also self-training, meaning it gets better every day.

As our sister-site explains in its latest briefing, consumers increasingly expect instant gratification. Seat Geek and other 'prediction engines' take that one step further, by drawing on the web's informational riches to tell consumers how things will be, enabling them to make better decisions now. The future has never been as near, and opportunities abound for entrepreneurs that can bring it even closer. (Related: Zigabid ticketing marketplace — Real-time pricing error alerts for consumers to pounce on.)

Website: www.seatgeek.com
Contact: admin@seatgeek.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

There are numerous tools out there for managing HR functions like time sheets and accounting, but employees' paid leave has been all but overlooked. That's according to strategic design firm Matter, which recently launched its answer to that need in the form of Perq.

Employee leave management is a complex task with potentially high stakes: companies lose millions or even billions of dollars in revenue each year without even knowing it because of unaccounted employee time off, says Atlanta-based Matter (which is not to be confused with the London company that goes by the same name). Enter Perq, a web application that's designed to let companies easily create an online version of their employee leave policies, view a shared calendar, and manage leave requests, accrued time off and multiple benefit levels. Personalized dashboards and automated tracking make it easy to keep up with accrual and rollover, while a simple leave request process keeps staff and managers connected and informed. Perq is free for up to three users; beyond that, pricing starts at USD 9 per month for up to 10 users. The service is also available for licensing and deployment as a white label product for enterprises with special brand or security requirements.

Of course, Perq may scratch the employee-leave itch for companies in the English-speaking world, but it seems safe to assume there are plenty of small to medium-sized businesses in other parts of the globe with the same need. One to localize or adapt for HR managers in your neck of the woods...?* (Related: exchange lets hourly workers swap shifts — Staff schedules & notifications made simple.)

Website: www.perqworks.com
Contact: info@perqworks.com

* P.S. If you're interested in translation or localization, Perq says to get in touch: hello@perqworks.com.