About My Health Innovation

Share, vote, and say thanks for low-cost, low-tech ideas.

What would make your experience with the health care system amazing? Perfect? The purpose of an "Innovation Cell" − the research unit behind Myhealthinnovation − is to collect your innovative ideas and get hospitals, caregivers and patients to use them. We want to make the experience of health care as close to perfect as possible. Yes, it's ambitious. We know you've got great ideas − because you either have, or will, encounter the health system some day. That's why we created this Web site.

What can I do on the site?

Any visitor can look at the ideas that have been posted in “Ideas in Action” – simple, low-tech ideas to improve health care in local communities and around the world. Anyone can also submit their own ideas, vote and comment on ideas submitted by other people. You can also visit the THANKbook to say thanks to others whose ideas – posted on this site or elsewhere – have improved your life for the better.

What kind of idea should I submit?

When submitting any idea, you are encouraged to consider:

1. Why are you submitting this idea? (Did you have a bad experience? An inspiration?)
2. Return-on-investment of the idea (Over 1-5 years, what is the "bang for the buck" from your idea?)
3. The improvement in quality of life from the idea for the world or for your community

What if I like an idea somebody posts and I try it out?

We encourage you to vote. Even better, if you like an idea and you try it and love it, tell us about it in the THANKbook. For example, if you like an idea on the site − e.g. “if you're unsure whether caregivers have washed their hands before they touch you, ask them to wash their hands” − try it out. Then tell us about your experience in the THANKbook. The THANKbook is the best place on the Web to say thanks.

What happens to my idea after I submit it?

People vote on them. We also have patient advocates and analysts who will read the ideas and comments and synthesize them. We'll take a combination of the most popular and most innovative ideas that are low-cost, high-impact and present them to key decision makers to recommend how we put those ideas to work locally and around the world.

How does the voting work?

You can vote on each idea one time by simply clicking on the vote icon (only one vote per idea). You can see an idea’s score (number of points) beside the vote icon.

Will you respond to every idea that gets posted?

We’d like to, but we can’t due to the expected volume of submissions. What we will do is keep you up to date via our Ideas in Action blog. Through our innovators’ blogs, we'll tell you about the ideas that we're recommending for implementation and keep you up-to-date on the status of those projects – whether they're taking place anywhere in the world, and at what stage of development they’re at.

Will I get credit for a good idea?

If a government, hospital or other group implements your idea, we will give you credit on the site if we can trace the idea back to you. You will be designated as a "health innovation champion". We'll also give you credit by profiling and blogging about the highest-impact and most popular ideas submitted.

What about my privacy?

Keep in mind that your ideas will be posted on the site and can be viewed by any visitor. Use your real name at your discretion.

Are there any ground rules for using the site?

The site is an open forum for building ideas – not criticizing. We will not allow profanity or other inappropriate conduct. Please be respectful.