"I do believe we are at the beginning of a revolutionary moment in health care, when patients and clinicians collect and share data, working together to create more effective health care systems," said Susannah Fox, associate director for digital strategy at the Pew Internet and Life Project, in an interview in January. Fox's research has documented the social life of health information, the concept of peer-to-peer healthcare, and the role of the Internet among people living with chronic disease.

In the past few years, entrepreneurs, developers and government agencies have been collaboratively exploring the power of open data to improve health. In the United States, the open data story in healthcare is evolving quickly, from new mobile apps that lead to better health decisions to data spurring changes in care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Read More