How we launched the Health Datapalooza under Todd Park and Aneesh Chopra. We used the open data and open gov mandate to release data and use that to fuel entrepreneurship and innovation in healthcare.

1. Mobilizing Communities for Health:
the Health Data Initiative
Aman Bhandari, HHS
aman.bhandari@hhs.gov / @GHideas

2. Context: HHS Health Data
Policy + Platform: Open Gov
Case Study: Health Data Palooza

3. • Prescription drug recall info
• Hospital comparisons
• Clinic and facility location
• Use of preventive services
• Summary measures of health
• Risk factors and access to care
• Measures of birth and death
• Food atlases
• Community health indicators
• Scientific publications
HHS Data: 80K Employees, $1B
+ Problem: Large amounts of data but little use or creative application

4. Open Gov: unprecedented initiative reflecting the President’s vision

6. Apps for Development Contest
(data.worldbank.org)

7. 7
Harnessing the power of (health) data
Opportunity: Build innovative data driven applications, democratize data
access & mobilize a community of users outside of government
Supply Downloadable Data to the Market (NOAA of health data): http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
data_access/chdi.htm

8. Problem: Large amounts of data but with little use or creative application
Opportunity: Build innovative data driven applications & a community of users

9. 1. Publish
brand
new
HHS
data
for
public
access
–
while
rigorously
protec0ng
privacy
and
confiden0ality
2. Make
exis=ng
HHS
data
much
more
accessible
-­‐-­‐
“machine-­‐
readable,”
accessible
via
applica0on
programming
interfaces
(APIs),
free,
much
easier
to
find
3. Energe=cally
publicize
our
data
to
innovators
-­‐-­‐
who
can
use
it
as
raw
material
to
develop
applica0ons
and
services
that
help
improve
health
and
health
care
Health Data Initiative core activities:
liberate data and catalyze innovation

10. @Steven_InSites #cm48
Buzz volume
Brainstorming: Harnessing the Power of Data to Improve Health
One Day: 50 health policy & tech developer experts !brainstorm, be inspired and drive action:
• Brainstorm most powerful and innovative ideas
• Form teams & commit to activating the best ideas within 90 days
• What started as a 1 day event has turned into a much broader effort
Health Policy Experts Tech Developers & Innovators
+
Mission: Harness the power of community health data for the benefit of all Americans”. CHDI
was launched on March 11th as an experiment in understanding how people might use the
data being released.

11. HealthData.gov, the one-stop place to get all of our
free, publicly available data, launched 2/2011

12. brainstorm ! commit ! implement & build
Examples of innovative applications
developed in 90 days

13. How do you bring data to the fingertips of consumers?
Microsoft Bing announced its latest effort to bring CHDI to the public by
incorporating Hospital Compare data into its search functionality

14. Challenge Example: How do you make raw data useful?
• Winner of Blue Button challenge (www.health2challenge.org)
• Contest funded through partnership between RWJF and Markle Foundation

15. @Steven_InSites #cm48
Buzz volume
• “Making community health info as useful as weather data”
• “Making Health Data Sing”
• Over 15 new or enhanced apps; 400 people in person, 300 online
• Cross sector teams formed; Innovation Expo
Product Launch: June 2nd HHS + IOM “Here Come the Health Apps!”
Showcased best “apps” with a tremendous response:

16. The goal: a self-propelled, open “ecosystem of
innovation” using data to improve health
• Help
consumers
take
control
of
their
health
and
health
care
• Help
employers
promote
health
and
wellness
• Help
care
providers
deliver
beEer
care
• Help
journalists
shed
light
• Help
local
leaders
make
beEer-­‐
informed
decisions
• Support
all
of
the
above
through
“data
intermediary”
services
• And
much
more
A
Rapidly
Growing
Array
of
Innova=ve
Products
and
Services
That:
Health-Related Data
from
FUELS

17. Publicizing our data to innovators across America
• Challenges
and
“code-­‐a-­‐thons”
(health2challenge.org)
• Many
innovator
“meetups”
and
conferences
• Annual
“health
datapaloozas”

18. Health Issues + Developers + Designers + Experts + 8 hours =
Awesome
Form Teams ! Active Coding ! Prototype

19. HHS Team
Greg Downing
Todd Park (@todd_park)
Aman Bhandari (@GHideas)

20. Additional Slides

21. @Steven_InSites #cm48
Buzz volume
How and where do you build community?
Launching an External Innovation Platform: www.health2challenge.org
• Partnered with Health 2.0 to launch a website to host challenges, innovation gallery and more
• Launched with over 12 challenges sponsored by: the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
Markle Foundation, California Health Care Foundation, HHS, Practice Fusion, West Wireless
Health Institute and others.
• Leverages power of prizes and challenges and team competitions
• Creates a “home” for a network of developers, government agencies, community
organizations, foundations, and companies
• Creates an environment where events become “results engines”
• Over 12 challenges launched, 83 teams
• 5 in person code-a-thons with average of 120+ people, dozens of teams formed

22. • Release Data:
HHS, USG, Private Sector (Gallup, First DataBank)
• Brainstorming (March 11th, 2010):
Prestigious host: Institute of Medicine (IOM)
Teams: mixture of start-ups, major companies, non-profits, individual
innovators
• Build Applications (June 2nd, 2010):
IOM as host, HHS and White House as convener
• Catalyze & Build Community:
PPP with Health 2.0, IOM. Health 2.0 Developer Challenge launched 12
challenges with many partners; Code-a-thon partners include Google,
HealthTap, Georgetown, Microsoft NERD, Make Magazine, others.
Design Framework (partnerships key to success):

23. Essential Ingredients of Success
• Team:
– Dedicated team of 3 people with senior leadership support and vision
– Strong project management skills and ability to connect across sectors
• Brainstorming:
– Partnerships from the beginning with outside non-profits to help convene, network and create a
lightweight consortium and get people vested from the start
– Create mashups of experts and non-traditionalists who can build something
– Open Framework: ask people to make a commitment and contribution to the public good
• Building the Ecosystem and Community:
– Welcome everyone (the small guy: start-ups, non-profits, solo entrepreneurs)
– Provide a “home”: hhs.gov/open AND health2challenge.org
– Use “Prizes and Challenges” to drive results and action and give new partners a channel to do
something concrete (health2challenge.org)
– Find a nimble/agile external group with a strong network (e.g. Health 2.0)
– Use events to engage people (health innovation week, conferences) and create results (code-a-
thons)
– Find champions and create ambassadors (data and community ambassadors)
– Tap into social media (twitter) and blogger/journalist leaders

24. What was the timeline?
CHDI data landing page March 2010
Brainstorming session (experts + innovators) March 2010
Product launch June 2010
Health2challenge.org July 2010
Code-a-thon at HealthTap Sept 2010
Code-a-thon at Google Oct 2010
Health Innovation Week: Announce challenge winners Oct 2010
HealthData.gov launch Jan 2011
Code-a-thon at Georgetown Feb 2011

25. What did we accomplish?
• Created dozens of health applications
• Created a diverse community of data suppliers & data users
– Private sector has come forward to contribute data
• Created partnerships
– HHS and Institute of Medicine (IOM)
– HHS and Health 2.0
– Foundations and private sector companies and Health 2.0
• Created Challenge Platform (with Health 2.0): www.health2challenge.org
– Platform to launch online challenges (over 12 challenges including Blue Button)
– Network of developers
– Network of funders, teams, innovators
– In person code-a-thons
• Created www.HealthData.gov

26. How did CHDI work?
Community
Building
4
Product
Launch
3
21
Challenge: Agencies are putting out large amounts of data. How to
translate this raw information into useful knowledge and tools?
Solution: Convene the data-savvy community with passion for the topic.
Elements of CHDI
• STEP 1: Publish raw data online in one place
• STEP 2: Convene subject matter and data rock stars along with technology
experts and innovators to brainstorm creative uses
• STEP 3: Commit to a major event (in front of the Secretary) to showcase the
tools built using the data
• STEP 4: Partner from the beginning, build an external platform, host smaller
future events (code-a-thons) to build a movement