Bill establishes FDA Office of Wireless Health, mandates prize program for innovators

More than two months after reports surfaced that Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) was working on a bill that would establish an office at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specializing in mobile health, the Healthcare Innovation and Marketplace Technologies Act (H.R. 6626) was introduced to Congress, according to an announcement. The bill, does in fact, call for the creation of an Office of Wireless Health at the FDA, and also mandates the creation of a prize program to incentivize innovators to take risks when developing mobile health technologies.

"The Disruptive Technologies Prize Program creates a commission of private industry, patient safety/privacy advocates, medical professionals, and government officials to recommend three major areas of the health information technology space that have not seen enough innovation," the announcement says. "It then creates a competitive prize program … to attract private investment in these three areas, thereby fostering a competitive atmosphere to create the game-changing technologies of tomorrow." Announcement