FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: 347-872-9376 HealthCircles@gmail.com @HealthCircles1 www.HealthCircles.

org This press release is directed at President Barack Obama, Kathleen Sebelius Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), philanthropist, venture capitalist, and investors: this is our request for funding for the very first health care focused web-based social networking and media website bringing together patients, physicians, hospitals and insurers in an uniquely interactive environment.

WWW.HEALTHCIRCLES.ORG

HealthCircles is a web-based social networking and media service that will bring patients, hospitals, physicians and other health care related entities together in an interactive virtual space. HealthCircles will provide an outlet for users to rate and micro-blog about the services of health care related entities, search as well as gather information on doctors, patients and hospitals. HealthCircles vision is to improve the efficiency and quality of the health care industry by bridging the gap between all parties involved through the power of social media. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a substantial piece of legislation that seeks to improve the American health care landscape in a variety of ways1. Among its
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http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Consumer_Education_July_2010.pdf

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goals, the PPACA strives to increase access to affordable insurance coverage while working towards structural changes that would maintain future health care costs under control2. The most prevalent goal, however, and the one concept that is nearly universally accepted is the desire to improve the quality of care across the United States (U.S.) for all citizens until it meets the highest of standards3. A significant part of the quality concern is how the U.S. can continue to better use prevention and wellness interventions to delay or avoid both acute and chronic diseases4. This challenge will only be met if consumers and patients play an integral role in the development and implementation of the policies and programs that are intended to achieve these expected results5. Dear President Barack Obama, Secretary of the Department of Health Kathleen Sebelius, the United States government, and fellow citizens of the United States: I would like to introduce to you the ideas behind HealthCircles.org. As a non-profit organization HealthCircles aims to merge health care with social networking and media by bringing together patients, doctors, hospitals and insurers in an unique web-based environment in order to improve the efficiency and quality of the health care industry. Keeping in line with the spirit of the new PPACA law, HealthCircles aspires to center the conversation over health care improvement around the integral roles that both consumers and patients play. HealthCircles.org will empower consumers of health care services by allowing them to access a wealth of information regarding health care providers while at the same time granting them the privilege to post ratings of their experiences of any given medical entity, be it a physician, health insurer or hospital. HealthCircles is the start of the very first health care/social networking website wherein Medical Entities6 and patients alike can, for the first time, engage with each other in a social networking environment that is uniquely interactive. Users will be able to engage with one another in real time by way of posts that are uploaded onto their profiles for others to view. These posts may include but not limited to blurbs about physician quality, upkeep of health care facilities visited by the user, ailments and symptoms of diseases the user may be experiencing. By giving consumers of health care services the power to communicate their frustrations, concerns and suggestions, HealthCircles can become an influential advocate of what the PPACA intends to bring to all citizens of the United States: the promotion of patient empowerment. I would now like to, for the purposes of aligning our goals with those of the PPACA, draw upon the text of the law while simultaneously expounding on the logistics of the HealthCircles model. As such, in several sections of the PPACA law there makes mention of offering grants for

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http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Consumer_Education_July_2010.pdf http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Consumer_Education_July_2010.pdf 4 http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Consumer_Education_July_2010.pdf 5 http://www.gih.org/usr_doc/Consumer_Education_July_2010.pdf 6 A Medical Entity on HealthCircles.org is would considered a physician, hospital, or insurance company. Medical Entities would initially be created by HealthCircles or they could be added by someone with a Health Circle Profile.

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projects that will improve the healthcare system7. One of HealthCircles main objectives is to aggregate the quality and resources of health care services for the purposes of empowering consumers to make more informed decisions in choosing their primary care physician, potential insurer, or hospital in order to satisfy their health care needs. According to the PPACA section 399II, to be eligible for a data collection grant or contract under this subsection, an entity shall be a multi-stakeholder entity that coordinates the development of methods and implementation plans for the consistent reporting of summary quality and cost information8. An entity capable of submitting such summary data for a particular population and providers, such as a disease registry, regional collaboration, health plan collaboration, or other population-wide source9. HealthCircles is a company that will be able to consistently report a summary of quality and cost information that is provided directly and voluntarily by patients and health care entities. For users convenience, HealthCircles will provide official public information regarding doctors and hospitals including locations, specialties and accommodations among other things. HealthCircles, in line with the language found in the PPACA, will promote the use of the systems that provide data to improve and coordinate patient care.10 Because patients will be blurbing11 about the health care they are receiving in real time, an individual with a profile on

Here, are a list of several sections that state the law will award grants. The Secretary may award grants or contracts to eligible entities to support new, or improve existing, efforts to collect and aggregate quality and resource use measures described under subsection (c).42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West)
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42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West) 42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West) 10 42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West) 11 blurbing/ blurb-it is characterized by the following: Blurb- it (plural blurb-its): A blurb-it is a web-based action made by an individual with a HealthCircle Profile (HCP) or Medical Entity. A blurb-it can only be created in regards to a ME. No blurb can be published without a pin (a pin is the process of linking to a ME). A blurb-it may consist of: 1) A comment of up to 280 words by either a HCP or ME in their health board text box. A comment made by a HCP is published on both the HCPs and ME's health board. A comment made by a ME is only published on its own individual health board. A comment can be viewed by everyone in the HealthCircle of the individual who is publishing it. 2) A HCP can grade a ME based upon a 5 star system, 1 star being the lowest and 5 being the highest Grading of a Medical Entity can only be performed by a patient/member with a profile on www.HealthCircles.org Subsequently, a grade is published on both the health board of a HCP and a ME. Overall grades for MEs are a reflection of the total average of grades posted by members and the public information that HealthCircles.org would aggregate about the ME. Health board

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HealthCircles.org will be able to communicate their concerns or praise for the services they are getting in an interactive, web-based environment. A patient with a profile on HealthCircles.org may rate12 their medical experience(s) in real time, interact with other patients regarding ailments, recommend the services of MEs to someone else in their Health Circle13, voice their discontent with the health care they are currently receiving, what they might have liked about the services, update their profiles with pertinent medical information and search for doctors and hospitals that may satisfy their health care needs. HealthCircles envisions a virtual space in which real and earnest conversations regarding health care can be had amongst all players of the health care industry: patients, physicians, hospitals and insurers. An individual with a Health Circle Profile (HCP) on HealthCiricles.org would be able to create a virtual Health Circle that includes one or more Medical Entities (doctor, hospital, or insurance) and other other individuals they add to their Heath Circle. A person with a profile would be able to interact with a ME or another HCP user via blurb-it posts. Furthermore, if an individual with a HealthCircle Profile has posted a blurb on a Medical Entity, others in their Health Circle would be able to view it. This process is called blurbing.14 The PPACA requires entities that are eligible for the grant or contract to support the provision of timely, consistent quality and resource use information to health care providers, and other groups and organizations as appropriate, with an opportunity for providers to correct inaccurate measures; and to agree to report, as determined by the Secretary, measures on quality and resource use to the public in accordance with the public reporting process established under section 280j-2 of this title15. In accordance with PPACA, HealthCircles will provide timely and consistent quality in the reporting of information with the blurb-it function as users voluntarily update their health boards with the latest information regarding an ME. Medical Entities may have access to information posted by a user or patient only if that user is part that MEs Health Circle of health friends. The family of a particular user may be updated of his or her health status through the blurb-it function as well, potentially providing them with minute-by-minute
Every HCP and ME would be equipped with a virtual health board. The health board functions as a wall wherein the latest blurb-it by either a HCP or ME would be posted. The health board will always have the latest blurb-it reflected at the top of the web page. Health board text box: Every HCP and ME would have a text box where they can write up to 280 words.

Every blurb-it would be coded so that it is automatically attached to a ME and is posted on the MEs health board. Essentially, HealthCircles.org would make it so that patients may express their medical experiences in real-time so that other potential patients can make more informed decisions regarding their care. Additionally, HealthCircles would provide patients, in a standard HealthCircles template, certain critical pieces of information in regards to a particular ME.
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The rating system includes specific survey questions related to the services received by a particular doctor, hospital, clinic or insurance company along with comments that can be added to the survey. The user responds to the questions based on a 1 -5 star system, 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. 13 Every user will possess a Health Circle or a group of health friends on their profile which may include other patients or medical entities. 14 Please see footnote 11 for a definition of blurbing. 15 42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West)

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updates. This can prove rather useful if keeping in touch with your loved ones as they battle through their illnesses is something that is important to you and your family. Anyone would be able to create a Health Circles Profile (HCP) on www.HealthCircles.org, via the mobile site, or by downloading the phone application. When an individual creates a HCP they could then interact with other HCPs and MEs by blurbing. A HCP can connect with other HCPs and add them to their HealthCiricle. A HCP could also add MEs to their HealthCircle. Active MEs could also add other MEs or HCPs to their HealthCiricle. Once a profile has been created the user will also be able to blurb-it about a particular ME. If a user is blurbing from their mobile device, a GPS option would pick up their location if they are at an already registered ME location. In the event that GPS is not enabled, prior to publishing a blurb-it, the user would be prompted to pin16 (link) the ME details to the blurb it. A user who is blurbing from a non-mobile device will be prompted to pin an ME prior to publishing their blurb-it. If an insurance company is within the HealthCircle of an individual, it will mark the first time in history that an insurer could analyze whether they are getting the best dollar value on the health care being delivered to their beneficiaries. An insurer will be able to see in a live social networking environment how their beneficiaries are feeling about their care in real-time. An insurer will be able to see, for the first time, how their beneficiaries feel about their doctors, specialists, or local hospitals17. Imagine patients being able to select their medical providers from a friends recommendation or a doctors recommendation in real-time. Obamas PPACA law states a grant will be awarded for Consistent data aggregation and that the Secretary may award grants or contracts under this section only to entities that enable summary data that can be integrated and compared across multiple sources18. HealthCircles will aggregate all the information that it will gather from Medical Entities and Health Care Profiles and analyze that data for trends and use that to advocate on behalf of patients when the health care system is being unfair and lacking in service quality. The data gathered on HealthCircles.org will allow patients to come together in way that has never been possible. Data will be summarized from the users and medical entities on healthcirles.org will be used and compared to existing medical metrics to show inefficiencies in the present health care system. HealthCirlces
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Pin: (plurral pinning) When a HCP pins a ME the user is identifying the ME they are blurb-it about. Imagine patients being able to discuss their health care experiences in real-time and being able to refer a doctor or hospital that they like. You ever go to the doctor and wait 3 hours for 5 minutes of time with the doctor. How annoying it is that? Can you do anything about it today? No you cant! If that is the service of care that you receive on a given day you are stuck with it! HealthCircles is going to change that because it feels that no one should ever receive that type of care. By going to the HealthCircles mobile application a patient can now voice their displeasure with their medical professional the moment it happens. Imagine if 1000 patients all voiced their displeasure with that doctor that made them wait for 3 hours for 5 minutes of service. Now HealthCircles can advocate for those patients in a way that has never happened before. An insurer can for the first time get access to this information.

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42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West)

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will provide the ability for data from the patient perspective to be compared to the data from the medical perspective. Obamas PPACA law states that the Secretary may not award a grant or contract under this section to an entity unless the entity agrees that it will make available (directly or through contributions from other public or private entities) non-Federal contributions toward the activities to be carried out under the grant or contract in an amount equal to $1 for each $5 of Federal funds provided under the grant or contract19. HealthCircles.org is asking for the government to award a grant not based on what has been invested today but for what is going to do for patients tomorrow. The Future of Health Care and HealthCircles Imagine a social networking environment where an individual (a patient) who has no primary care doctor having to turn to the internet to find one. Such a task can be daunting. How much easier would it be if that individual could access a social network where others are actively discussing primary care doctors in his or her neighborhood? Imagine if that same patient could see the primary care doctor in his or her best friends HealthCircle. Perhaps that friend gave that doctor a high rating or wrote something positive about their experience. How powerful would it be if that individual could quickly message his or her friend to ask about their experiences? This would allow consumers of health care services to make more knowledgeable and informed decisions. Patients suffering from the same illnesses may form Health Circles in order to discuss the doctors they are currently seeing, the insurance companies that insure their care, the medical techniques that have been tried as well as their personal day-to-day experiences. HealthCircles seeks to create such a world. There is a certain standard of professionalism that we, as patients, expect from Medical Entities20 (MEs), be it a physician, hospital, clinic and/or insurance company. We as patients are often left powerless as to how we choose quality MEs to satisfy our health care needs. HealthCircles goal is two-fold: 1) the idea that everyone has the right and power to make educated choices when it comes to receiving top-notch medical services; and 2) creating a social network in which valuable and meaningful medical conversations can take place among patients and their ME.21
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42 U.S.C.A. 280j-1 (West)

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A Medical Entity on HealthCircles.org is/would considered a physician, hospital, or insurance company. Medical Entities would initially be created by HealthCircles or they could be added by someone with a Health Circle Profile. 21 Regarding HIPAA: As required by Congress in HIPAA, the Privacy Rule covers: Health plans

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Case study Felipe wakes up at 8:00 AM and he is not feeling well. Felipe is a 26 year old law school student with a day job as project manager. He runs three times a week and tries to hit the gym one or two days out of the week. He doesnt drink much alcohol these days because he doesnt have much of a social life. He hasnt been sick nor has been to the hospital in years. However, on this particular morning he wakes up to with terrible pain that forces him to drive himself to St. Anas hospital. He gets to the hospital and its filled with patients who seem to be half asleep. He goes through the normal procedures of signing in and speaking to one of the intake nurses. After giving his insurance information he is told sit and wait patiently for the doctor. Two hours go by and still no service. Now Felipe is irate and sees that the hospital is overcrowded and the staff overwhelmed by the sheer amount of individuals in need of care. As many of us have experienced, the insurance that we work so hard for is being wasted on an inefficient and unproductive health care provider. What are Felipes options when it comes to remedying his concerns? One option is that he can leave without any health services being provided and blindly go to the next hospital in the neighborhood which may or may not satisfy his medical needs. He can talk to the intake nurse and complain about the lack of service, but it doesnt seem likely that that would create any real systemic change. He could try to forcibly demand care, but that, possibly, may land him in jail. With the existence of HealthCircles, however, Felipe may be able to blurb about his experience at this particular health care provider by downloading the mobile application of HealthCircles.org and creating a profile. He can blurb about the terrible experience at St. Anas hospital and have it posted on its health board. Next time, prior to visiting a hospital, Felipe may be able to search for an institution or doctor with favorable ratings and comments so that he can make a more informed decision as to satisfying his medical needs. Once Felipe has created that profile he can also see how other patients at St.Anas hospital are rating and saying about their health care related experiences at this particular facility. Perhaps its the case that other patients are experiencing the same inadequate services. If Felipe had only
Health care clearinghouses Health care providers who conduct certain financial and administrative transactions electronically. These electronic transactions are those for which standards have been adopted by the Secretary under HIPAA, such as electronic billing and fund transfers. These entities (collectively called covered entities) are bound by the privacy standards even if they contract with others (called business associates) to perform some of their essential functions. The law does not give the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the authority to regulate other types of private businesses or public agencies through this regulation. Patients: The HIPAA Privacy Rule may limit how a covered entity (for example, a health plan or most health care providers) uses or discloses individually identifiable health information, but does not prevent individuals, themselves, from gathering medical information about their family members or from deciding to share this information with family members or others, including their health care providers. Thus, individuals are free to provide their doctors with a complete family medical history or communicate with their doctors about conditions that run in the family.

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had a HealthCircles profile prior to visiting the hospital he could have avoided this poor delivery of health care services.

Advocating for progressive patient empowerment in health care through social media. -Founder of HealthCircles

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