In my mind, I write this blog several times each day. Reality, however is different. There are so many exciting opportunities in health information technology –and health care overall. Today’s blog has connections to some of the many innovation challenges and competitions which I can only hope that dietitians should participate. Many of these focus on creation of innovative health information technology software or products which can help solve some of the problems of our present health care system. Most of these announcements were made at theHealth Data Initiative (HDI) Forum in Washington, DC, an annual meeting designed to accelerate and promote the use of open government data and to spark innovation in the health care community.
A great role model has already surfaced on this blog—Jody Engel, MA, RD, Nutritionist for the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health. Jody created a free mobile app called My Dietary Supplements or MyDS, which provides an easy way to track vitamins, minerals, herbs and other products that you take. She has been a guest blogger previously on MyDS for this site.
Opportunities Abound! Click on each heading link for complete details and prizes!
Health2Challenge.org
This site is the home of most developer challenges. The ONC awarded Health 2.0 a contract as to coordinate a host of innovative challenges concerning Health IT.
HealthIndicators.gov
Aetna Foundation Challenge Deadline: August 15, 2011
The Challenge involves the creation of an interactive browser-based application with, at the developer’s discretion, additional platform capabilities that will take data and facilitate the following:
- Basic data visualization
- Predictive modeling and scenario analysis
- Comparisons across various parameters
- Output of key data/analyses into presentation formats such as, but not limited to, PowerPoint
- Social networking, bookmarking and sharing
The target user for this application is anyone who needs ready access to data and analytics to inform a decision. Users include: researchers, legislative staffers, academics, local health officials and more. This application is not intended for the general consumer.
Body Media Get Moving! Challenge August 19th, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST
BodyMedia is the pioneer in developing wearable body monitoring systems designed to help people lose weight, improve performance, and lead healthier lives. Our patented multi-sensor technology provides continuous body-monitoring that tracks physical activity levels, calories expended and sleep patterns. What sets BodyMedia technology apart is our validated accuracy, our clinically proven outcomes and our FDA status as a Class II medical device. The BodyMedia FIT system includes a wearable Armband that collects, in aggregate, hundreds of millions of user data points per day and an online Activity Manager where users input their body parameters, set personal goals and log food intake.
Engage with Grace Deadline: September 7, 2011
In 2008 Engage with Grace was started as a viral movement to help get the conversation about end of life experience started with a goal of helping to make sure individuals know, communicate, and have honored, their end of life preferences. Engage with Grace is just One Slide, with just five questions on it. Five questions designed to help get us talking with each other, with our loved ones, about those preferences. And we’re asking people to share this One Slide — wherever and whenever they can… at a presentation, at dinner, at their book club
Medicare Claims Data Developer Challenge Deadline: August 15th, 2011
IMPAQ International (IMPAQ) and NORC at the University of Chicago wish to promote the development of internet-based applications for users of the newly released Medicare Claims Public Use Files. IMPAQ and NORC, with support from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), seek to develop web platforms suited for health services researchers, health policy researchers, data entrepreneurs, and/or other potential users who would like to access Medicare claims data.
Relevant Evidence to Advance Care and Health (REACH) Deadline: Ideas by August 15, 2011 October 30, 2011
Create an innovative application that provides high-quality, evidence-based, and useful information building on data generated in the process of care. Examples include applications that 1) help patients engage more fully in their health or health care, 2) help support caregivers, and/ or 3) help clinicians to deliver better care.
Walgreens Health Guide Challenge Deadline: August 15th, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST
Walgreens would like to develop an application and supported web service that would present aggregated HHS data to consumers and Health Guides based upon a disease condition, topic, and/or location. The Health Guide and/or consumers would use this tool to provide information and resources about a specific topic of interest or disease state.