DALLAS, Dec. 9, 2008 – The American Heart Association has received the Second Annual eHealth Initiative’s Improving Health and Healthcare through Information and Information Technology Award in the ‘Engaging Consumers’ category. The award was presented at the eHealth Initiative’s annual conference in Washington, D.C. last week. 

The eHealth Initiative is an independent, non-profit affiliated organization whose mission is to drive improvement in the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare through information and information technology. The initiative has more than 250 state, regional and community-based partners.

Since 2005, the American Heart Association has helped shape the future of health information technology by focusing attention in the areas of research, patient/consumer advocacy, education and collaboration.

Some examples of its projects include:
• An ongoing study between the American Heart Association and Medem, an online communication service for healthcare providers, about personal health records (PHRs) and how patients managing cardiovascular diseases can use them.
• The recent launch of Heart360.org, a complete online cardiovascular wellness center, which resides on Microsoft HealthVault. The tool allows users to set goals and take control of their health by tracking their blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, weight and other heart disease risk factors.
• Interoperability between the Google Health platform and the American Heart Association’s Heart Attack Risk Assessment tool. The tool helps users calculate their own risk of having a heart attack or dying from coronary heart disease in the next 10 years. This collaboration allows users to easily import and export data to or from a personal health record.
• The American Heart Association’s online PHR Resource Center –www.americanheart.org/PHR – explores personal healthcare records and their benefits. It encourages American to take control of their health and use these records to make important health decisions.

“The American Heart Association is committed to empowering consumers to be active participants in their health” said Neil Meltzer, president of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and American Heart Association national board chairman-elect. “Our health information technology initiatives are helping individuals better understand their heart disease risk factors, seek care when appropriate, and develop a more collaborative relationship with their physicians and healthcare professionals.”

To learn more about the American Heart Association’s efforts in Health IT, visit www.americanheart.org/healthIT.

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Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to reducing disability and death from diseases of the heart and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim over 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2005–06 the association invested over $543 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit www.americanheart.org.