Project HealthDesign Overview

National Program Office and Staff

National Advisory Committee

Funders

Project HealthDesign Overview

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), with additional support from the California HealthCare Foundation, Project HealthDesign is a $5 million national program designed to support health and information technology pioneers to create a new generation of personal health record (PHR) systems. Administered by a national program office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Project HealthDesign’s goal is to design and test a suite of PHR tools and applications that work together to help people achieve their various and specific health goals in an integrated fashion. The program is supported by the Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio, which funds innovative projects that can lead to fundamental breakthroughs in the health and health care of all Americans.

This bold new program will build on and extend the range of uses offered by existing PHRs by supporting multidisciplinary teams to design and test a broad spectrum of innovations in how consumers can use information technology to better manage their health and more easily navigate the health care system. Project HealthDesign challenges health experts and technology designers to push the envelope in thinking about the transformative potential of PHRs and design PHR systems that can exist on a common platform.

In this two-phased, 18-month initiative, nine design teams will participate in a six-month structured process to create user-centered personal health applications that address specific health challenges faced by individuals and families. In the subsequent 12-month prototype phase, these personal health applications will be tested in target populations.

The program’s objectives are to:

• Develop innovative designs for PHR products and services that can help individuals and their families manage important health challenges;
• Generate insight into the needs, preferences and design challenges associated with diverse populations;
• Develop an initial set of requirements for a common PHR platform that can support a diverse array of applications;
• Propose solutions to address the ethical, legal, and social issues related to person-centered, person-managed health information, including privacy protection; and
• Stimulate the health information technology industry to develop consumer-focused personal health records system products and services that use the common platform approach.

Each design team receives a grant of up to $300,000. RWJF is pleased to collaborate with the California HealthCare Foundation, which provided $600,000 in additional funding for Project HealthDesign.