The Joseph H. Kanter Family Foundation (Hollywood, Fl.) and the Waltham, Mass-based InnoCentive Inc., a leader in challenge-based innovation, announced they were partnering to create a collaborative activist network; advocating the sharing of healthcare information.
The collaborative activist network, ideally consisting of at least five million members, would include patients, families, patient advocates, healthcare professionals, and the public. Connected through social media, Web 2.0, and other traditional and novel mediums, the network's purpose would be to advocate for the sharing of anonymized data from electronic health records (EHRs) as a tool in better diagnosing and treating illnesses. The program will run for 30 days with a guaranteed award of $5,000 for the best submission.
The Kanter Family Foundation believes that real-world health outcomes data should be aggregated using anonymous information from millions of EHRs. In the organization's estimate, aggregating approximately 50 million records would provide a basis for informed, scientific-based health decisions by the patients and their clinicians. Equally important, the Kanter Family Foundation seeks to raise awareness among patients, healthcare professionals, and policy makers about the organization's vision and approach.
