The Heart Information Portal (HIP) - here for you and your heart.
Here for You and Your Heart
If you have been told by a physician there is something wrong with one of your heart valves, the Heart Information Portal (HIP) may be able to help you. The Heart Information Portal (HIP) is free to use and we are not part of any hospital or insurance company or medical device manufacturer. Nearly everyone arrives with more questions than answers. That is what we are here for.
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Why the HIP Exists
If you have been told that open-heart surgery is your only option, or that no treatment is available, you may want to ask your care team about another opinion. Availability of transcatheter procedures varies by center. The HIP shares information about procedures involving the aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary valves. We built the HIP to help you explore that information and find contact details for centers to discuss with your care team.
What does "minimally invasive" mean?
Traditional valve surgery means opening the chest to reach the heart. A minimally invasive procedure does it a different way. The physician guides a thin tube, called a catheter, up to your heart through a blood vessel, usually near the top of your leg, and makes the repair from the inside. There is no chest incision at all. For most people that means a shorter stay in hospital and a much quicker recovery.
How the HIP Works
We are not a hospital, an insurance company, or a medical device manufacturer. We do not bill individuals and we do not make money from what you decide to do for your own care. What we do is share information about minimally invasive transcatheter heart valve procedures in straightforward language, show you the heart centers near you and, if you would like, provide contact details for a NexVal Center that accepts requests for another opinion from people who contact it through the HIP.
The HIP team can help you find information about centers and clinical trials, talk through your questions, and prepare questions for your care team. There is no charge to use the HIP.
The HIP database brings together information about transcatheter heart valve treatments, heart centers, and clinical trials from public records, hospital websites, and research sources. It is sourced and organized primarily using AI to help you explore this information in one place. Information may contain errors or omissions and may be out of date. Do not assume it has been independently verified. Confirm current details directly with the heart center you contact or its study team.
NexVal Centers
The NexVal Center concept is being piloted now, with more centers planned. We are building a network of NexVal Centers that have made commitments to people who contact them through the HIP. They will accept requests for a second or third opinion, including from people who are not already their patients.
What NexVal Centers Commit To:
- They will accept requests for a review, even if you have never been their patient.
- They will provide a second or third opinion, even if you are being cared for somewhere else.
- They perform these procedures at their own center.
- They work with our team to follow your recovery and progress.
Where This Is Going
We’re still early, which means there’s a lot ahead. Here’s what’s working today—and the opportunities we’re focused on next.
Where We Are Now
Know what exists
Plain-language information on every valve condition, a directory of the centers that perform these procedures, the research studies that are underway, and the HIP team on the phone to talk it through.
Underway
A Network That Answers
Growing the group of NexVal Centers, so that wherever you call, someone takes your situation seriously, gives you a second opinion, and helps you identify somebody else if they cannot help.
Where This Is Going
Reaching People Earlier
Reaching people earlier, including outside the United States, so that no one is sent home believing they are out of options when they are not.
What makes the HIP different?
Most health information online is written for everybody at once, or it comes from a hospital that has a stake in where you end up. We were developed only for people with valve disease, and we have nothing to gain from what you choose to do. The aim is simple. You should be able to see the same information your physician sees, and be able to do something with it.
We are independent on purpose. No hospital group owns us and no medical device company pays us. That is what lets us identify a center that may be right for you.
We write plain-language resources about heart valve conditions and minimally invasive transcatheter procedures, keep track of the active clinical trials that are enrolling people with valve disease, and share contact details for centers that perform these procedures.
Would you rather just talk to someone?
The HIP team can help you find information about centers and clinical trials and prepare questions for your care team. You do not need a referral to contact the HIP.