News Release

Winner of Million Hearts Risk Check Challenge competition announced

Application helps users calculate risk for heart disease

A free, easy-to-use mobile application that helps people prevent heart disease is now available through iTunes. The app, created by the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation as part of a nationwide competition, was announced today by Farzad Mostashari, M.D., the national coordinator for health information technology, and Janet Wright, M.D., the executive director of the Million Hearts initiative. Launched in support of Million Hearts, the competition received submissions by more than 35 entrants.

“The Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation has created an app to give people easy access to some of the most advanced health care analytics available to learn the factors that put them at risk for heart attacks and how to prevent them,” Dr. Mostashari said. “People can now get information about their risk and share what they know with their doctor to better manage their heart health.”

Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation’s winning mobile application, Heart Health Mobile,  provides information about  a person’s risk for heart disease based on answers to questions about height, weight, cholesterol levels and blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking status. In areas with participating pharmacies and other retail clinics, the app steers users to convenient locations for cholesterol and blood-pressure screening.  A feature that tracks users’ histories allows people to easily see if they have made progress as they work to lose weight or lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Heart Health Mobile offers both a traditional version of the app and one that incorporates a game. Users who play the game earn points for completed tasks and awards for tracking their heart health and reaching their targets.

“The goal was to develop an app that helps Americans take simple steps to prevent heart disease, which is responsible for one in every three deaths in the U.S. Heart Health Mobile is simple and fun to use, and we hope will help people lead healthier lives,” said Simon M. Lin, M.D., app project leader and director of the Biomedical Informatics Research Center at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation.  “As health care moves rapidly toward preventing disease, technology such as Heart Health Mobile can help people take charge of their health.”

In support of Million Hearts and Heart Health Mobile, the cities of Baltimore, Chicago, and Tulsa, as well as Philadelphia and San Diego counties are encouraging residents to get cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, better understand their risk for heart attack and stroke, and take steps to improve it. Working with partners in their communities, these cities will encourage use of the app through a variety of ways, including print advertising; grassroots, community-based events; and other activities. Participating pharmacies in those communities will offer screenings and help patients communicate the results to their physician or other health care professional when follow-up is needed. Thousands of pharmacies and retail clinics across the U.S. are currently connected to the Heart Health Mobile application through the Surescripts network, including CVS Caremark Minute Clinics, and select Walgreens, H-E-B, and Thrifty White locations. Subsequent versions of the app will include additional locations.

“The development and launch of the Heart Health Mobile app is the kind of powerful partnership to reduce heart attacks and strokes that we want to see more of,” said Janet Wright, M.D., executive director of Million Hearts. “The combined commitment and expertise of these technology, pharmacy, and community leaders has produced an easy-to-use tool that will help people take control of their heart health—and help us keep a million more hearts beating strong.”

Heart Health Mobile uses Archimedes Inc.’s IndiGO tool to analyze the information a person enters into the app, calculating the individual’s heart disease risk and improvement over time. The app works on Apple iOS tablets, iPhones, and iPod Touch devices and can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.hearthealthmobile.com/ . Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation will release in March a web-based (HTML5) responsive design version that works on other devices.

For more information the about the winners of the app challenge please visit
http://millionhearts.hhs.gov.

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Last revised: February 14, 2013