Know about the popHealth Tools Development Innovation Challenge?

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Health IT will revolutionize the way that healthcare professionals work and provide care to patients by making care delivery more efficient, precise and advanced.  In order to streamline a provider’s transition to electronic health records, great tools like popHealth technology exist.

popHealth is an open-source software service that automates the reporting of meaningful use measures for providers working with EHRs and integrates with those systems using continuity of care records and nationally-recognized data standards.  The platform is easy to use and sports an  intuitive interface that is designed for healthcare professionals.  The result is seamless integration of EHRs in private practices (the software also simplifies participation in Medicare & Medicaid EHR incentive programs).

The ONC’s Investing In Innovation program (i2) is sponsoring the popHealth Tool Development Challenge.  The Challenge asks teams to develop innovative applications using the popHealth open-source framework.  $100,000 in prizes will be awarded to the teams with the best applications.

Apps submitted for the challenge should help providers improve patient safety.  Possibilities include simplifying provider use of quality measure calculations to better engage with patients and addressing disparities in the care provided to these patients.  Apps can be designed to target patients with high disease burden who are in need of early intervention.  Teams are encouraged to aggregate multiple data-sources to help public health officials and organizations develop more clearly defined pictures of health statuses and risk factors within communities.

We’re is looking forward to receiving an array of innovative final submissions.  For more details on the popHealth Tool Development Challenge, visit www.Challenge.gov/ONC/246 or http://www.health2challenge.org/pophealth-tool-development-challenge/. The Challenge closes January 20, 2012.

 

Wil Yu
Special Assistant for Innovations
Office of the Chief Scientist
Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
US Department of Health & Human Services