ONC Unveils Contest To Test Health IT Innovations in Real Settings

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT announced a new health IT innovation challenge that will award select health care organizations and innovation companies funding to work together to "bridge technological gaps," Health Data Management reports.

Challenge Details

ONC's Market R&D Pilot Challenge aims to test health care innovations in real-life settings by pairing health IT innovation companies with one of three types of hosts:

  • Clinical environments, such as hospitals, ambulatory care or surgical centers;
  • Public health settings and personnel, such as public health departments or community health workers; and
  • Consumer health, such as pharmacies, laboratories or self-insured employers.

Applicants are encouraged to focus on ONC priority areas, such as:

  • Blue Button;
  • Care coordination;
  • Data generated by patients;
  • Interoperability and exchange;
  • Medication management;
  • Patient portals;
  • Standards and data format; and
  • Underserved communities (Slabodkin, Health Data Management, 11/11).

The year-long challenge will be divided into two six-month stages. The first stage will center on creating and selecting teams, as well as preparing pilots. During the second six months, teams will test their pilots and compile an evaluation report (Uppaluru/Wong, "Health IT Buzz," 11/10).

Teams can receive up to $50,000, with the first $25,000 awarded when teams are selected and a second $25,000 awarded after the pilot has been completed and evaluated.

ONC will select up to six innovator-host teams to participate.

Interested applicants must be paired and have agreed on a project design before they apply. The due date for applications is March 2, 2015 (Health Data Management, 11/11). Teams will be selected by April 30, 2015 ("Health IT Buzz," 11/10).

Source: iHealthBeat, Tuesday, November 11, 2014

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