Putting Healthcare Back in the Hands of Patients
Welcome to the
Patients First Foundation
Patients First Foundation is a national nonprofit focused on improving patient literacy, advocacy, and empowerment through community collaboration and tech-enabled engagement. We are committed to transparency, impact, and building tools that help patients take control of their healthcare experience.
Why Patients First?
We believe the healthcare system is operating exactly as it was designed—but not for the benefit of patients. Patients and taxpayers are paying twice for a system that doesn't prioritize their needs. We are here to change that.
The question is: How can we build a system that works for everyone, improving health and reducing costs for all?
Our Vision: Healthcare 3.0
We are launching Healthcare 3.0, a new model that puts control back in the hands of patients. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, we will empower individuals to manage their healthcare records, make informed decisions, and form partnerships with local healthcare providers and employers.
Real Stories, Real Change
Our founder, Steve Carbonara, nearly lost his life due to misdiagnosis and mistreatment—a powerful example of the failures within the current healthcare system.
Now, we’re calling on 1 million patients to share their stories, so together, we can address these challenges and drive meaningful change.
Your Voice Matters
At the Patients First Foundation, we believe that patient voices are the key to transforming healthcare. By sharing a few facts about your journey, you can help us understand the challenges patients face and the changes needed to improve care.
Your privacy is our priority—your name will never be associated with your information without your explicit permission.
The first step in connecting with you takes about 10 minutes—helping us learn about your experiences and work together to put patient care back where it belongs: in your hands.
From Our Founder
"From an early age I reveled in asking the questions that those in authority do not like to answer. I believe that it is our mandate as people to ask why healthcare has been structured the way it is, why every stakeholder is represented better than the patient, why we allow corporations to gouge us at every turn, and most importantly, why no governing body has stepped in to defend us yet. The only person that is coming to defend you is you, together, as a national collective, we can work together to build a better healthcare system - one focused on health, personal connections, mutual respect, character, integrity and honor. Sick people deserve these things, caretakers of patients and all forms of providers deserve these things as well . When did we stop agreeing that common decency and respect was an obvious expectation? I think it was the day we allowed corporate officers to tell the people (you, me, the patient, your neighbor) that 'the policy of the company' mattered more than anything else, including human life. It is time to find our decency again, it is time to rebuild our community and our healthcare."
Steve Carbonara
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Patients First Foundation
