To Find a Doctor, Mine the Data.

Reports that millions of consumers are now not only researching their medical symptoms online but comparison-shopping online for hospitals and doctors. Focus on the case of Kirk Emerich, who researched comparative medical data online after suffering a knee injury; Suggestion that more consumers are turning to online research due to the increase in medical costs, higher insurance premiums and heftier co-payments; Comments regarding the issue from Sharon Baldwin, spokesman for General Motors Corp., the nation's largest private purchaser of health care.