LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM and CALGARY, ALBERTA and BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS and NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- (Marketwire) -- 11/20/12 -- Chaordix® Inc., the global standard in crowdsourced market intelligence, and the Synovation® Health Collaborative have launched a new digital healthcare research community - currently open to participation from any Alzheimer's patient, caregiver or family member.

The community's first program leverages a pioneering model of innovation research which brings together Chaordix's Crowd Intelligence(TM) crowdsourcing methods and technology - along with Synovation's healthcare co-creation consulting expertise - to help discover ways to enhance American healthcare services for people with Alzheimer's.

"Patients, caregivers and families dealing with Alzheimer's 24/7 are the ones who know most intimately the needs and priorities caused by this illness," said Shelley Kuipers, Chaordix Founder & CEO. "By providing a dynamic digital environment for this crowd to effectively collaborate, we can identify the most common unmet needs and help improve lives."

Alzheimer's is the first healthcare topic that will be explored within the Synovation Challenge model. The community will ultimately engage and collaborate on a variety of topics and activities to identify gaps in current treatment and care services - and find innovative solutions to overcome those gaps. The Chaordix Crowd Intelligence(TM) platform provides participants with access to leading-edge discussion, voting, collaboration, co-creation, and expert panel evaluation technologies and processes. In subsequent crowdsourcing programs, healthcare professionals will also be invited to participate.

"The cost of Alzheimer's disease on our society is staggering," said Ron Wince, CEO of Guidon® Performance Solutions, a Lean Sigma hospital and healthcare consultancy - and sponsor of the Synovation Health Collaborative. "With hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on care each year, and millions of people providing unpaid care, Alzheimer's is one of the most critical healthcare issues we face today."

According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in eight elderly Americans suffers from Alzheimer's disease making it the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Furthermore, an estimated 15 million Americans are providing unpaid care to people with Alzheimer's and dementia.

The overall goal of the Synovation Challenge is to tap the collective wisdom of a wide range of participants to spur changes in healthcare delivery and create market opportunities for healthcare service providers through the introduction of additional focus areas several times a year. Community sponsor, Guidon, will make a financial donation to the Alzheimer's Association, based on crowd participation criteria. For more information, visit synovationchallenge.com or contact support@synovationchallenge.com.

About Chaordix

Chaordix® is the global standard in crowdsourced market intelligence. Chaordix uses the power of crowdsourcing to help the world's leading companies and organizations gain actionable insight and competitive advantage. Our Crowd Intelligence(TM) community solutions are helping clients such as P&G, IBM, FutureBrand, Reckitt Benckiser and American Airlines leverage our unique crowdsourcing techniques and technology to drive market research, brand loyalty and innovation. Visit www.chaordix.com to find out more.

About Synovation Health Collaborative

Synovation Health Collaborative engages a community of experts and disruptive innovators - from patients to policy makers, physicians to entrepreneurs, employers to government officials - committed to unravelling the complexities of the American health system and transforming it in a tangible way. The community of innovative creators design and implement solutions to advance a health system that works. This "power of many" experience moves beyond idea sharing - the community discovers, develops and deploys programs that create a better tomorrow for healthcare. Visit http://www.synovationhealth.com to learn more.

About Guidon Performance Solutions

Guidon Performance Solutions is a leading hospital and healthcare consulting firm that helps clients achieve rapid, sustainable improvements in operational performance and growth. With a full-spectrum of advisory and execution capabilities focused on people, process, and technology, Guidon provides strategic direction and hands-on implementation to guide cultural and organizational transformation. For more information please visit www.guidonps.com or call 866-986-4414.