Castlight Health’s Shopping Application Adds Data from HHS Health Data Initiative – Enabling True Health Care Consumerism
June 9, 2011
Castlight Executives To Present Solution at HDI Forum—Immediately Available to Castlight Customers
Washington, D.C., June 9, 2011—Castlight Health, the premier company enabling consumers, employers and health plans to take control of health care costs through easy-to-use shopping tools with unbiased pricing and quality information, has announced the addition of health care provider and facility quality information from HHS’ Health Data Initiative.
Company executives will present Castlight’s platform today at the Health Data Initiative Forum hosted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The update is available immediately at no extra cost to Castlight customers.
Castlight Health is one of forty-five companies selected to showcase how data can improve consumers’ health care. Castlight’s unique approach combines government health care data—including measurements and guidelines from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)—with Castlight’s own proprietary cost and quality data.
Together these data enable Castlight’s users to select health care providers and facilities on the basis of personalized out-of-pocket cost, convenience and adherence to evidence-based guidelines.
"We are honored to be chosen by the IOM and HHS to present alongside other great companies using government data to enable consumers to take control of their health care," said Giovanni Colella, M.D, Castlight Health Co-Founder and CEO. "The Health Data Initiative Forum is one example of how Castlight Health shares the federal government’s commitment to bring transparency to health care."
The Health Data Initiative Forum is an event to accelerate momentum for the public use of data and innovation to improve health and support more informed decision-making by consumers/patients, health care systems, and community officials. The Forum includes a number of fast-paced demonstrations of a range of tools and applications developed using health data, as well as a series of discussion sessions and a data and apps exposition. It is co-hosted by the Institute of Medicine, the health branch of the National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Forum will be held on June 9th, 2011 and can be viewed live online at http://www.hhs.gov/live starting at 9:00 am EST. The hashtag to follow on Twitter is #healthapps. Castlight Health’s demonstration begins at approximately 1:23 PM and can also be viewed online at http://www.hhs.gov/live.
About Castlight Health
Castlight Health enables employers, their employees, and health plans to take control of health care costs and improve care. Named #1 on The Wall Street Journal’s list of "The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies" for 2011, Castlight Health helps the country’s self-insured employers empower employees to shop for health care.
Castlight Health is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by prominent investors including Venrock, Oak Investment Partners, Maverick Capital, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Wellcome Trust, Cleveland Clinic, and U.S. Venture Partners. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.castlighthealth.com or call (888) 227-8544. Contact: Susie McDonald (503) 443-7297 [email protected]