Two of the founders of US doctors' network Sermo have set up a new community to foster greater collaboration between patients and their doctors.

Par8o is the creation of Daniel Palestrant and Adam Sharp, until recently Sermo's CEO and chief medical officer respectively.

Introducing Par80, they said: “The current healthcare crisis is a uniquely American challenge and ultimately will be solved with a uniquely American solution. The most simple of solutions has yet to be attempted.

“Having built the largest physician community in the world, we've seen first-hand what is happening to our profession and understand what it is doing to our colleagues, and most importantly, our patients.

“We believe healthcare is best managed by direct collaboration between patients and the physicians providing their care.”

What this means in practice is a focus on improving the efficiency of the patient referral process. Referrals are “a critical moment in a patient's healthcare journey, either a change in diagnosis or an escalation in care”, Palestrant told Xconomy.

Ahead of a public launch planned for later this year Par8o remains invite-only.

The company is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and its name is a play on the efficiency ideas of Italian economist Vilfred Pareto.

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