6 New Challenges Launch for Summer 2011

Health 2.0 announced today the release of six new challenges as part of the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge. The announcement was made at the Health 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. It was at the same meeting last June where Health 2.0 first launched the Developer Challenge, a series of virtual and physical events in which developers, designers and other stakeholders in health care work together to develop new health related applications and improve upon existing ones.

Many of the challenges are open for registration today with submission deadlines in mid August and the rest to be launched over the next few weeks. In addition to monetary prizes, the first place winner from each challenge will receive free admission to the 5th Annual Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, September 26-27, 2011, where they will demonstrate their winning application during a session focused on the Health 2.0 Developer Challenge.

The Medicare Claims Data Developer Challenge, sponsored by IMPAQ International and NORC at the University of Chicago, asks teams to create an online dashboard for comparative effectiveness and health policy research that is suited for health researchers, data entrepreneurs, students, journalists and others who would like to access this Medicare claims data. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services accumulates and maintains claims data for all Medicare beneficiaries and has contracted with IMPAQ and NORC to pioneer the creation, dissemination, and support of Medicare claims data for public use. Applications are due on August 15th, 2011 with a top prize of $7,500.

The Aetna Foundation Challenge seeks the creation of an interactive browser-based application surrounding federal obesity data and other health related data sets making them more accessible for health stakeholders including researchers, public health officials and policy makers. An ideal submission would allow users to provide inputs that could be used for predictive modeling, allowing for data comparison across multiple dimensions. Submissions are due August 15, 2022 with a top prize of $25,000.

Walgreens is sponsoring the Walgreens Health Guide Challenge that asks developers to design a application that aggregates Health and Human Services (HHS) data for both consumers and Walgreens’ new, in-store Health Guides. The ideal submission would allow both customers and Health Guides to search specific topics and review clinical trial information, federal and state data, and more. Teams must submit their applications by August 15th, and the top prize is $25,000 and an hour with the Walgreens Chief Innovation Officer.

Launching soon is the Using Public Data for Cancer Prevention and Control Challenge from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) which asks multidisciplinary teams of software developers, entrepreneurs, and health scientists to create innovative health applications using data made available by NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) and other Federal agencies. Two top winners will receive a $20,000 prize to present their apps at the HICSS conference in Maui, HI on January 4th, 2011.

The Academy Health challenge, Relevant Evidence to Advance Care and Health (REACH), is asking developers and researchers to create innovative applications that provide high-quality, evidence-based, useful information that builds on data generated in the process of care. First place will receive $5,000, a meeting with administration officials at the Academy Health National Health Policy Conference (NHPC) and a chance to demo their application at the NHPC.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching Apps for the Environment, a challenge to encourage the development of innovative environmental applications. EPA wants to engage students, colleges and universities, and software developers across the U.S. to create useful solutions that can help inform communities about protecting people’s health and the environment. The Apps for the Environment Challenge invites creative developers to build applications to help people understand environmental conditions that could impact health, and help communities make informed decisions about environmental impacts.