For Immediate Release

Whole Health Pioneer Announces Partnership with
CrowdMed.com, Innovators of Crowdsourced Medical Diagnosis

National Institute of Whole Health adds CrowdMed.com Medical Detective Case Study
participation to its Certification Case Study Requirements

Wellesley, MA, San Francisco, CA – The National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH), pioneers of Whole Health Education® training and research since 1977, announced today its partnership with CrowdMed.com, an online, crowdsourced medical diagnosis platform that helps to solve the world’s most difficult medical cases.

For almost 40 years, NIWH has been training health professionals as health advocates and educators who provide demystified, evidence-based health information and serve their patients as trained health detectives. Because of NIWH’s enthusiasm for the CrowdMed.com platform, NIWH learners’ current case-study requirements will now include case study submissions for patients on the CrowdMed.com platform. The NIWH learners’ contributions will be a pro bono effort to assist these very ill patients and serve as a pilot study for further application.

CrowdMed.com boasts impressive statistics for those with undiagnosed illness. While their clients have seen an average of eight or more physicians, paid over $70,000 in medical fees and have spent seven years in search of a diagnosis and solution, the CrowdMed.com medical detectives have helped 60% of the patients get closer to a diagnosis. NIWH hopes to improve that statistic for CrowdMed.com through the participation of their graduates with the additional case study requirement.

The visionary work of its founder, Jared Heyman, CrowdMed.com was launched in response to Hayden watching his younger sister suffer for three years with a mysterious illness that had no diagnosis or treatment available, in spite of her consulting with over two dozen doctors and spending over $100,000 in related medical costs.

Dr. Georgianna Donadio, Director of NIWH, says of the partnership, “We are delighted to partner with CrowdMed.com. We share a mission of eliminating chronic, persistent medical conditions which often threaten an individual’s independence and quality of life. Jared Hayden is to be applauded for his vision and passion to transform the medical diagnostic process for many long suffering patients.”

CrowdMed.com CEO Jared Heyman has this to say regarding their partnership with NIWH – “CrowdMed is very excited to collaborate so closely with an organization that not only embraces a forward-thinking approach to the practice of medicine but also holds to an evidence-based, scientifically validated method.  We can’t wait to get started!”

                                                                                                                                                    ###

About NIWH
Since its inception in 1977, the National Institute of Whole Health has held a compelling vision for American health care. Today, 38 years later, that vision has become a reality in mainstream medicine and health care with the focus on disease prevention, patient health education and advocacy and self-directed care.

The Amazon #1 bestselling, multiple award winning book “Changing Behavior – Immediately Transform Your Relationship with Easy to Learn, Proven Communication Skills” documents the development and research of NIWH’s Whole Health Education® at various Boston hospitals that began in 1980. For more information, please visit www.niwh.org. Media Contact: Conor Michael, at 888-354-4325 or conor@niwh.org
About CrowdMed

CrowdMed is an innovative healthcare startup harnessing the wisdom of crowds to help solve complicated medical cases more quickly and efficiently. The company offers individuals, insurance providers and self-insured corporate customers the ability to reduce their healthcare costs without compromising care. Founded by veteran technology entrepreneur Jared Heyman and based in San Francisco, California, CrowdMed has received more than $2.4 million in funding from some of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital firms including NEA, Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, SV Angel, Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator. The company’s advisors have founded and run some the world’s most successful online healthcare companies including WebMD. CrowdMed graduated from Y Combinator’s Winter 2013 class, and was officially launched during the TEDMED 2013 conference in Washington, D.C. Visit www.crowdmed.com for more information.