Another side of disintermediation?

I've been thinking a lot about the idea of disintermediation since last week's class. When we discussed this in class, it seemed that all of our references and examples were specific to retail, albeit different product categories. But how might the idea of disintermediation apply to non-retail fields?

Medical professionals have been voicing more and more loudly their collective disapproval of online services that give users detailed explanations of illnesses, symptoms, medications and prognoses. To my understanding, it's not that doctors and nurses do not want patients to do their homework in more deeply understanding their professional recommendations; rather, it is that patients are now turning to sites like WebMD to self-diagnose, and they often expect their own determinations to carry substantial weight in the doctor's office or hospital. Are medical professionals the next "middle men" to be disintermediated?

While this example would seem a bit ridiculous on the surface, it is happening more and more, as evidenced by WebMD's inclusion of the following phrase in its editorial policy: "Be aware, however, that information on WebMD or any other web site should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare." Clearly, WebMD itself is aware of the potential for users to disintermediate their own doctors, going directly to healthcare journalists, sponsoring pharmaceutical firms and professional editors.