History

Founded to Promote Self-Care for All

Healthwise was founded in 1975 to help people make better health decisions. Our first publication was a binder that helped mothers provide self-care for themselves and their families. The binder has since evolved into our 350-page Healthwise® Handbook, now with more than 28 million copies in print.

Continuous growth and innovation

Today Healthwise provides health content solutions to leading health plans, hospitals, physician groups, and consumer health websites. Our content is also integrated in leading electronic medical record systems and care management platforms. In addition to the Healthwise Handbook, we provide organizations with a host of electronic and print products that help people manage their health and make informed health decisions.

2011 The Healthwise® Spanish Knowledgebase provides easier access to health information for a rapidly growing Hispanic population.

Healthwise® Shared Decision Points are the first decision aids to proactively inform an organization about people’s preferences related to high-impact health decisions.

Healthwise® Patient Education EMR Module earns ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certification.

The new Healthwise® Care Management Solution delivers a complete package to make health coaches more efficient, satisfy customers with measurable programs, and give people an easy way to receive targeted health education.

Healthwise information is used more than 1 billion times to make better health decisions.

Healthwise® Learn To Earn courses bring a key interactive layer to online self-management programs.
 
2010 Healthwise wins National Grand ClearMark Award from the Center for Plain Language.
 
2009 150 Healthwise® Decision Points are redesigned to help people consider the facts and their feelings when making health decisions.
 
2008 Healthwise wins American Academy of Family Physicians and Consumer Health World Award for Ix® Conversations.

NCQA HIP certifies 10 Healthwise interactive tools.

A new product, Healthwise® Care Support Pages, is added to our suite of print guides.
 
2007 Healthwise wins Wall Street Journal Top Small Workplaces Award.

Ix® Patient Instructions, Ix Conversations, Ix® HealthMastery® Campaigns, and Ix® Core Prescriptions are added to the Healthwise® Ix® solution family.
 
2006 Healthwise® Go-to-Web codes and new information on chronic conditions are added to Healthwise books.
 
2002 Healthwise introduces the concept of information therapy (prescribing the right information to the right person at the right time), writes the Information Therapy book, and launches the Center for Information Therapy.
 
2001 British Columbia delivers Healthwise printed, online, and nurse call center resources to its entire population.

URAC gives web accreditation to the Healthwise® Knowledgebase. (Healthwise is the first organization to receive the accreditation.)

Partners Health Initiative announces that using Healthwise health content saves an estimated $34.5 million.
 
1999 Don Kemper chairs Hi-Ethics, the basis of URAC website accreditation.
 
1996 Blue Shield of California introduces the first website application of the Healthwise Knowledgebase.
 
1995 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports Healthwise Communities Project to help Idaho residents become smart health care consumers. Residents gain access to Healthwise books, Web content, and call center resources.
 
1994 The Healthwise Knowledgebase is delivered to our first customer, the Aetna call center.

First million-book distribution of the Healthwise Handbook is delivered to Kaiser Permanente.

First international edition of the Healthwise Handbook is delivered to South Africa.
 
1992 First edition of Healthwise® for Life, the Healthwise self-care book for older adults, is released.
 
1991 First edition of La salud en casa: Guía práctica de Healthwise, the Spanish-language edition of the Healthwise Handbook, is released.
 
1986 First edition of Growing Wiser, the Healthwise guide to mental wellness for older adults, is released.
 
1984 First edition of Pathways, the Healthwise lifestyle behavior change program, is released.
 
1979 First edition of Growing Younger, the Healthwise physical wellness guide for older adults, is released.
 
1975 Donald W. Kemper founds Healthwise.