How Do You Teach Health Literacy?

I'm very excited about the potential of new technologies and mobile health and giving people information at the time they need it. So for example they could have a checklist on their mobile phone that might say what I need to do if I think I have the flu, or if my kid just got hit on the soccer pitch or from they want to figure out what to do before they go in surgery.

It's very complex managing all the health information, but if we put it in a simple way that people can use it, I think that's one line, another way that I've been very excited about is this idea of a score, a number. I got credit score for your health. Can we come up with something that's simple, simple enough take seven numbers and put them in one composite the people can pay attention to.

And we've done that recently with what I call a digital health score card of looking at people's cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, BMI, alcohol use, exercise and tobacco. If you take those 7, there are 75% of the risk factors for chronic disease. Roll them in a one number and get people to move on that, will begin at least show some way of people can empower themselves and a system that can move toward prevention rather than treatment.