MedHelp's Digital Engagement Platform Powers First Community-and Data-Integrated Solution for Vascular Disease

READING, Mass., Oct. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- MedHelp^®, the consumer division of Physicians Interactive^® (PI), today announced its digital health engagement platform now powers the first unified patient engagement and outcomes research solution for vascular disease. Created in partnership with national non-profit Vascular Cures, this platform will aid research to develop better vascular healthcare therapies and treatment as well as improve patient self-management.

MedHelp's integrated digital health platform will drive Project VOICE (Vascular Outcomes Improvement through Patient Communication and Engagement), a Vascular Cures program that will catalyze collaboration among patients, providers and researchers. MedHelp's platform enables the acquisition of key patient-reported outcomes data and allows for more efficient sharing of that data for meaningful research and to improve disease management. It also helps patients better understand and manage their condition through integrated peer support communities, educational content and health tracking tools.

"Patient engagement has been woefully lacking in disease prevention and treatment, but it remains the key to improving health and facilitating the flow of meaningful data with doctors and other stakeholders, and the rapidly growing category of vascular disease is a prime example of that," said John de Souza, President of the Consumer Division of Physicians Interactive. "With Vascular Cures, we are dedicated to making a meaningful impact on the lives of the millions of individuals suffering from vascular disease. Our smart technology combines analytics, education, data collection and peer support in a best-in-class patient engagement platform that helps facilitate the exchange of information needed for effective vascular care."

The site features a condition management dashboard with patient-entered and device-collected data around key health indicators, such as physical activity and blood pressure, along with educational content and integrated peer support communities. The program also includes patient surveys whose results will help doctors track outcomes and inform research for new diagnostic tests and treatment options.

"MedHelp is the innovation partner we need to make Project VOICE a success," said Wendy Hitchcock, CEO and Director of Vascular Cures. "With MedHelp's offering, Vascular Cures will be the first to meet the needs of patients and medical researchers in a single platform. This solution will fill an important gap in an urgent and costly area of healthcare."

Vascular diseases includes atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease (PAD), stroke, aneurysms, and hypertension, among others, and affect hundreds of millions Americans. Although deaths from heart attacks are declining, there is an epidemic of vascular disease, in part due to an aging population and skyrocketing incidence of diabetes and obesity. Vascular Cures, a trusted leader in vascular disease research for more than thirty years, is driving an effort to advance patient-centered research and care to improve outcomes for this debilitating group of diseases.

About MedHelp
MedHelp, the consumer division of Physicians Interactive, is the world's largest online health community and consumer health platform, empowering more than 140 million users worldwide each year to better understand and better manage their health. MedHelp's platform provides mobile, social and data solutions to leading health industry players looking to bring consumer engagement to their condition management offerings. For more information, visit http://www.medhelp.org.

About Physicians Interactive

Physicians Interactive engages and empowers consumers and healthcare professionals with instant access to content, solutions and data to improve health outcomes. The company provides payors, retailers and life science companies with sophisticated digital engagement solutions to reach, message, educate and change behaviors.

Physicians Interactive is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, U.S.A. (known outside the U.S. and Canada as "MSD"), with its own independent employees, editorial process, business and financial operations, and governance. PI maintains its information independent from MSD and maintains confidentiality of its customers' information from MSD. More information can be found at www.PhysiciansInteractive.com.

About Vascular Cures

Vascular Cures is the only national non-profit representing the millions of patients with vascular disease. It has a 30-year track record leading vascular innovation to transform patient lives, with programs that advance patient-centered research and patient-centered healthcare. Vascular Cures is the partner of choice for stakeholders across the vascular care to cure continuum, with a close network of influential leaders in the field at world-class institutions across North America. http://www.vascularcures.org.

Media Contacts:

MedHelp
Katherine Solem, 415.882.4600
[email protected]

Amendola Communications for Physicians Interactive
Tim Boivin, 224.209.6495
[email protected]

Vascular Cures
Wendy Hitchcock, 650.368.6022
[email protected]

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SOURCE Physicians Interactive

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