May 28 2009
The American Cancer Society today unveiled its Circle Of Sharing social web application designed to help cancer patients, their families, and their friends better coordinate support and cancer information as they move through treatment and beyond.
Built on Microsoft HealthVault, a privacy and security enhanced platform designed to put individuals in control of their personal health information, Circle Of Sharing enables users to share reliable medical information and resources from the American Cancer Society with a trusted circle of caregivers, family, and friends for a more holistic approach to managing their disease. The Society, the leading voluntary cancer fighting organization and largest non-government funder of cancer research, made the announcement at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) in Orlando, Florida.
"A cancer diagnosis can be very scary and may very well be the hardest thing patients and families have ever faced, and coordinating care and communications can be a real challenge," said Terry A. Music, chief mission delivery officer at the American Cancer Society. "The American Cancer Society provides a variety of resources to help cancer patients get well, and The Circle Of Sharing tool will provide medical information, support and status updates through the security of HealthVault to help patients and their trusted circle through this challenging time. The Society and Microsoft HealthVault entered into this strategic collaboration to create and deliver a tool that lets people with cancer organize their health information and gain insight to help them make informed health decisions."
The Circle Of Sharing promises to help cancer patients and their support networks better manage their disease and treatment plans. Patients can organize and access critical details about their diagnosis, medications, other treatments, and side effects all in one secure location, making it easier to keep track of this information and share it with healthcare providers as they move through the different phases of their treatment.
In addition as people record the details of their health, the Circle Of Sharing tailors the articles they receive to match their situation. Cancer patients receive reliable information from the American Cancer Society specific to their needs to help them manage their care and prepare for what lies ahead. Patients can then share any of this information with members of their circle to help them better understand what the patient is going through. The tool also allows patients and loved ones to send messages to one another to better coordinate support and care.
"Empowering patients by providing them with information and resources can support them in their fight against cancer," said David L. Cerino, general manager of the Consumer Health Solutions Group at Microsoft. "We are proud to support the American Cancer Society's vision of creating an online community that will allow cancer patients to securely connect their health records digitally and decide which data they want to share with loved ones and their health providers in order to best manage their care."
Consumers can learn more about the Circle Of Sharing tool and create accounts at www.cancer.org/circleofsharing.
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