One in a Million Hearts Challenge

Challenge Background

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America. The goal of the Million Hearts initiative is to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes over five years by reducing the number of people who need treatment and improving the quality of treatment for those who do need it. To achieve this goal, a range of programs will be targeted toward improving care of the ABCS: "A"spirin for people at high risk, "B"lood pressure control, "C"holesterol management, and "S"moking cessation.

Challenge Description

This challenge is a multidisciplinary call to innovators and developers to create an application that activates and empowers patients to get healthy and improve their heart health. The application should achieve the following:

  • Provide information about the Million Hearts initiative
  • Have patients enter relevant information about their health. Examples include:
    • Age, body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking status, pertinent medical history, aspirin and cholesterol-lowering agent use
  • Use the patient reported data and ABCS framework to generate targeted recommendations to the patient. Examples include:
    • Providing education and resources to help reduce fat and salt intake, increase exercise, lose weight, stop smoking, or increase medication adherence (e.g., to improve control of high blood pressure)
    • Using GPS technology to recommend nearby walks or places to eat healthier
    • Recommending to the high risk patient to see a primary care doctor if not on aspirin or cholesterol-lowering medication
    • Linking to online communities dedicated to improving heart health
  • Be able to send patient information to electronic health records via Direct (http://directproject.org/)

Evaluation Criteria

  • Patient engagement
    • Entries will be rated on the ability to incorporate patient reported information
  • Quality and accessibility of information and resources
    • Entries will be rated on quality and evidence base of the provided information and interventions using plain language (http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/reader-friendly.cfm)
    • This includes resources linked to e.g. informational websites, online communities and social media sites
    • Entries should be useful to patients with a range of health literacy levels (http://www.health.gov/healthliteracyonline)
  • Targeted and actionable information
    • Entries will be rated on the extent to which they provide tailored, accurate information and recommendations based on patient reported information.
    • Entries will be rated on ability to transmit patient-entered information to electronic health records via Direct (http://directproject.org/)
  • Innovativeness and Usability
    • Entries will be rated on the extent to which they are innovative and have an easy-to-use interface for patients with a range of experience and comfort level with technology
  • Platform Neutrality
    • Entries should be platform neutral but optimized for mobile device web access
  • Bonus points will be awarded for creating both English and Spanish versions

Submission Criteria

  • A registration button and related link for the challenge can be found at the top of the right hand column of this page. Teams are asked to register to help Health 2.0 and the challenge sponsor anticipate resources needed to manage the project.
  • Registered teams may receive updates from Health 2.0 and the Sponsor during the submission period that provide useful information with regards to the competition.
  • There are no additional forms or steps required after submission of the registration form. Instructions on how to submit an entry will be sent prior to the close of the submission deadline. Teams are not bound or limited by the proposal description submitted in the registration form and may update or modify their projects as needed prior to final submission.

Timeline

  • Submission Period Begins: October 3, 2011
  • Submission Period for Entries Ends: December 31, 2011
  • Winner notified: January 20, 2012

Terms & Conditions

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