It’s Friday afternoon, and you suddenly remember that you were supposed to make plans for date night. You pull up Yelp to find a restaurant, use Google to locate a movie theater nearby, and maybe browse Metacritic to read reviews and select a film that you and your date will enjoy. In just a few minutes, the tickets are purchased, the reservation is confirmed, and you can feel confident that you’ve made good decisions.

Now let’s consider another scenario. You’re at the park when your child comes running up to you with a bee sting that is swelling badly and appears to be getting worse. You again pull out your phone and hit Google to find the nearest hospital or walk-in clinic. Are any of these providers covered by your plan? Are they good at treating allergic reactions? You have no way to check, so you go to the nearest one and hope for the best.

On the surface, these two scenarios – planning an evening out and responding to an urgent medical situation – may seem unrelated, but they represent two common consumer experiences. The difference between them underscores one of the most important challenges facing American businesses today: Empowering individuals to make better decisions about their health care.