The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is spending $4.9 million to jump-start health IT innovations through contests and prizes in its "bold new" Investing in Innovations Initiative.
This initiative is a product of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. The money is being disbursed to two private firms--Capital Consulting Corp. and Health 2.0--which will look for deserving recipients by holding award competitions in several areas, including applications, to help patients share health information within social networks and to connect during natural disasters.
In related news, the second annual Health Data Initiative Forum in New York showcased 45 new and updated health IT applications. According to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, "the power of this initiative is tapping into American ingenuity."
Innovations publicized at this forum included:
- iTriage, an application that helps consumers find a nearby facility to treat the symptoms they have and enables them to book appointments online;
- Ozimia, which helps reporters create healthcare stories for localized populations;
- A cluster of new applications from Aetna, among them programs that provide local demographic data, comparison data on nursing homes, and dietary counseling.
To learn more:
- see the ONC press release
- read the Healthcare IT News story on the New York forum