Doctors Launch New Website To Improve Healthcare And Address Environmental Roots Of Disease

First Healthcare Website To Use Crowdsourcing and Online Incentives to Tackle Social and Environmental Factors that Impact Patient Health

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- HealthBegins, a physician-led social enterprise that improves the health of vulnerable communities with educational, technology, and consultancy services, launched the beta version of HealthBegins.org. HealthBegins.org is a free, dynamic, invite-only web platform that provides healthcare professionals and students with expert knowledge and tools to address the social and environmental problems that lead to illness.

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"Four out of five physicians nationwide feel unprepared to address social needs – like housing problems, hunger, or workplace stress – that contribute to their patients' health problems and drive up healthcare costs," notes Rishi Manchanda MD, MPH, HealthBegins founder and CEO. "Our team has worked tirelessly to produce an unprecedented experience for health professionals who seek expert knowledge and tools to better address these pressing social issues. Clinicians and students who use this new resource will spur a transformation in the way we provide healthcare by helping to improve health where it begins."

The beta launch of HealthBegins.org marks a major step forward in bridging the worlds of medicine and public health by using crowdsourcing and behavioral economics. With a user-friendly and incentive-based platform developed with content and feedback from 40 experts and early users, HealthBegins.org helps health professionals quickly learn and share what they need to know about social determinants of health – the social and environmental factors that shape well-being even more than medical care.

Invitations to Beta Site: 

The first round of 250 Beta invitations were sent today to clinicians and others who had already requested invites. A limited number of invites to the beta version of HealthBegins.org are being issued in order to foster close communication and feedback between clinicians and website developers. A variety of innovative features are planned over the next several weeks. Additional Beta invitations will be offered soon. Beta users will also be able to invite a small number of their own friends and colleagues. To request a beta invitation, please visit http://signup.healthbegins.org/

About HealthBegins:

HealthBegins is a social enterprise that improves healthcare and the social conditions that make vulnerable patients sick. Founded by physicians with extensive experience caring for the underserved, HealthBegins is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. For more information, please contact rishi [at] healthbegins.org

Media Contact:

Rishi Manchanda HealthBegins, 310-869-6291, [email protected]

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SOURCE HealthBegins