The Human Diagnosis Project Named Semi-Finalist In MacArthur Foundation Competition For $100 Million Grant

CHICAGO, Feb. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Human Diagnosis Project (Human Dx) is one of eight groups named today as a semi-finalist in 100&Change, a global competition from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The competition will award $100 million to a single group that seeks bold solutions to solving critical problems of our time.

Human Dx will deliver an open, online system that provides public health and safety net institutions access to specialty medical expertise. Human Dx intends to engage the country's leading medical boards, societies and academic institutions, and already has support from four of the largest including the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Medical Association (AMA).

"Nearly 1 in 10 Americans are uninsured but access primary care through the nation's safety net system of roughly 1,300 public hospitals, community health centers and free clinics," said Jayanth Komarneni, Founder & Chair of Human Dx. "However, a critical gap remains in access for these patients to specialty medical care, with 91 percent of safety net clinics reporting difficulty obtaining specialty care for the uninsured when their condition requires it. Due to the existing uncertainty around the Affordable Care Act, the need could be far greater soon."

Komarneni continued, "Patient's options are limited – they can pay out of pocket for specialists or delay treatment. Now, with Human Dx, physicians across every medical specialty can come together to solve this problem indefinitely."

"These eight ambitious proposals exemplify the passion, range, and creativity of the hundreds of applications," said MacArthur President Julia Stasch. "We hope that the competition inspires individuals and organizations to be bold and think big, because solutions are possible."

Human Dx is built on existing research demonstrating that as many as 40 percent of specialist visits can be served through electronic consultations. Researchers at Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine, are currently testing and validating Human Dx's performance, cost, outcomes, educational and training value.

Human Dx plans to engage 100,000 volunteer physicians to provide electronic consultations to three million patients in the U.S. safety net system over the next five years as an initial proof point, with the goal of eventually helping all underserved patients in the U.S., and ultimately the world.

Additional information on Human Dx, including an overview video of the Project and a MacArthur video describing the proposal can be found at www.macfound.org/humandx 

100&Change is a unique competition for organizations worldwide to submit proposals promising real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time in any field or any location. There was robust participation: 7,069 competition registrants submitted 1,904 proposals. Of those, 801 passed an initial administrative review and were evaluated by a panel of expert judges who each provided ratings on four criteria: meaningfulness, verifiability, durability, and feasibility. MacArthur's Board of Directors made the final selection.

"It is our hope that these creative proposals will benefit from expert feedback, technical assistance, and public attention," said Cecilia Conrad, MacArthur's Managing Director leading the competition. "And that they attract funding from other sources, even if they do not win 100&Change."

Each semi-finalist will next work with an expert team to address questions about their technical and organizational capacity. The expert team will provide feedback to the semi-finalists to inform proposal revision and will submit an assessment to MacArthur's Board. The semi-finalists will also be asked to show authentic engagement with their target communities and other relevant stakeholders.

MacArthur's Board will select up to five finalists in September. Finalists will present their proposals during a live event on December 11, 2017, before the Board names a single recipient to receive $100 million over six years.

100&Change was designed to be fair, open, and transparent. The identity of the judges and the methodology used to assess proposals are public. Applicants will learn how their proposal was evaluated and will receive comments from a panel of expert judges. Key issues in the competition are discussed in a blog on MacArthur's website. A public, searchable database of all the proposals will be posted online later this year. The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.

About the Human Diagnosis Project
The Human Diagnosis Project (also referred to as "Human Dx" or "the Project") is a worldwide effort created with and led by the global medical community to build an online system that maps the best steps to help any patient. By combining collective intelligence with machine learning, Human Dx intends to enable more accurate, affordable, and accessible care for all. Now the world's largest open medical project, Human Dx is structured as a partnership between the social, public, and private sectors. Its partners include many of the world's top medical institutions, boards, and societies.

About the MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. Organizations supported by the Foundation work in about 50 countries. In addition to Chicago, MacArthur has offices in India, Mexico, and Nigeria.

Media questions please contact:
Anna Cahill James
[email protected] 
415.866.3663

QUOTES/BACKGROUND FROM HUMAN DIAGNOSIS PROJECT MEMBERS:

American Board of Internal Medicine
President and CEO
Richard J. Baron, MD

"Collaborating to find solutions to deliver the right care at the right time is a deeply held value in the medical community, and Human Dx is a tool that could accelerate and expand efforts to achieve better health outcomes," said Richard J. Baron, MD, President and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine and ABIM Foundation. "Having worked in a small community practice for nearly 30 years, I am excited about the possibilities Human Dx presents for physician learning and patient access to specialty care. We look forward to finding better ways to recognize the work internists and subspecialists do to provide care for underserved communities."

ABIM Board Certified Doctors Make a Difference
Internists and subspecialists who earn and maintain board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) differentiate themselves every day through their specialized knowledge and commitment to continual learning in service of their patients. Established as an independent nonprofit more than 80 years ago, ABIM continues to be driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world. Visit ABIM's blog to learn more and follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties.

ABIM Media Contact: 
Erin Frantz, (215) 399-1766 [email protected],

American Board of Medical Specialties
President and Chief Executive Officer
Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA

"As the nation's leading organization overseeing physician specialty certification, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and its 24 Member Boards recognize the domestic and international gap that exists for the most vulnerable populations with regard to access to specialty care," stated ABMS President and Chief Executive Officer Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA. "We support the work of Human Dx in their development as a potential method by which these patients' and their families' physicians can obtain access to consultations by expert medical specialists. This has the potential to improve the health and wellbeing of patients in this country, and ultimately across the globe; we congratulate Human Dx on being selected as a semi-finalist in the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition."

Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) continues to be the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and certification of physician specialists. More than 860,000 physicians are certified in one or more of the approved 37 specialties and 86 subspecialties offered by the ABMS Member Boards.  For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

ABMS Media Contact:
Rich Waters, (312) 431-2626 [email protected]

American College of Physicians
Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
Darilyn V. Moyer, MD, FACP

"As an organization representing internal medicine physicians across the country, many of whom provide care to adults with complex illnesses, the American College of Physicians supports Human Dx as a mechanism to facilitate access to specialists and help improve outcomes for patients who might not otherwise have access to care," said Darilyn V. Moyer, MD, FACP, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, ACP.

The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States. ACP members include 148,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.

ACP Media Contact:
Allison Ewing, (215) 351-2649, [email protected]

American Medical Association
President
Andrew W. Gurman, M.D.

"The AMA looks forward to working with Human Dx to help more uninsured and underinsured patients gain access to the specialty care they need. The AMA is committed to improving the health of the nation and achieving better health outcomes for all Americans. Improving access to specialty care is a step in the right direction," said AMA President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D.

The American Medical Association (AMA) is the premier national organization dedicated to empowering the nation's physicians to continually provide safer, higher quality, and more efficient care to patients and communities. For more than 165 years the AMA has been unwavering in its commitment to using its unique position and knowledge to shape a healthier future for America.

AMA Media Contact:
Kelly Jakubek, (312) 464-4443, [email protected]

SOURCE The Human Diagnosis Project

Related Links

http://hdx.org