Proving the Potential: A Health Data and Standards Code-A-Thon

April 24-25, 2017
1776, 2231 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202

1. What are you announcing?

A health standards and data innovation Code-A-Thon soliciting projects that uses one or more of the required tools and services to address one of the following obstacles in health IT:

  1. Electronic Quality Measures and/or decision support
  2. Secure and privacy preserving methods to aggregate patient data
  3. Discovery of patients, providers, researchers and/or  services

2. What is the Code-A-Thon expected to accomplish?

The event requires the use of several open tools and services created under the ONC/PCOR Patient Matching and Algorithm (PMAL) Project. The projects developed at the code-a-thon will uncover underlying gaps and will challenge teams to develop and present concepts that support specific obstacles in Health IT. The code-A-Thon also  Fulfills the goals of the innovations area of ONC’s Tech lab for coordination and engagement with start-up communities, the administration of challenge contests, and monitors standards and technology innovations on the horizon.

3. I am interested in this event but do not want to be part of the contest, can I still attend?

Interested parties who do not wish to be part of the Code-a-thon contest may participate as an “observer” and attend the educational “Office Hours” sessions.

4. When and where is the Code-A-Thon?:

The competition will begin at 8am on April 24, 2017 and will end at 12:30pm April 25, 2017 . The event will take place at 1776 Crystal city, 2231 Crystal Dr #1000, Arlington, VA 22202.

5. How can interested parties learn more about the goal and process of the Code-A-Thon?

The challenge website is the best source of information for this challenge and will be updated frequently.

6. Are these grant award programs?

The Code-a-thon awards are not grants.  It is a prize competition run under the authority of the America COMPETES Act, which enables ONC to invest in innovation through research and development.  Challenges are a way for HHS employees to draw on external talent and ideas to solve critical problems.

7. Who do you expect will participate?

Coders, developers, industry experts, academia.

8. What sizes are the teams and when will they be determined?

Teams should be made up of 2-5 participants. Teams may not be set in advance. Informal formation of teams is encouraged however; team formation will be finalized at the event.

  1. Based on number of registrants, we will ask that you consider taking on additional team members if needed.
  2. ALL individuals in a team must meet the eligibility requirements and comply with the Code-a-thon Code of Conduct.

9. When are project submissions due?

Submissions are due no later than 7:00 am on Tuesday, May 25 via the Challenge site and posted to GitHub.

10. What is the amount of prize money available for this challenge?

The total prize money for this Challenge is $15,000. Cash prizes will be awarded as follows:

  • (3) Third place winners will receive $1,000 ea;
  • (2) Second Place winners will receive $2,000 ea;
  • (1) First prize winner will receive $ 5,000.

There will be up to (6) honorable mention awardees that will receive $500 ea.

11. When will winners be announced?

Winners will be announced on April 25th at the close of the event

12. What is in scope for this Code-A-Thon?

The scope of this Code-A-Thon is limited to solutions developed on one or more of the required tools and/or services that address one of the 3 identified tracks.

13. What are the required tools and services that I must use in my project?

Privacy and Security

  • Security Profiles
    • HEART Profiles
  • OAUTH, OpenID Connect and User Manage Access (UMA) services and libraries
  • POET
    • Pre OAuth Entity Trust (POET) API
    • Pre OAuth Entity Trust Reference Implementation (POET-RI)

Data and Matching Services

  • eCQM server
  • Records completeness service
  • Patient matching harness
  • Patient merging

14. Must all work on the code-a-thon project be started when the Code-A-Thon begins or can we work on the project in advance?

Projects can be started in advance as long as they have been posted to the public domain for others potential use.

Proving the Potential: A Health Data and Standards Code-A-Thon

Contestants must leverage at least one of the following:

  1. Security Profiles
  1. Data and Matching Services

FOR FURTHER TECHNICAL INFORMATION CONTACT:
Debbie Bucci, [email protected] (preferred), 202-690-0213.

FOR LOGISTICAL QUESTIONS/INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Adona, [email protected]

Challenge Sponsors

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This code-a-thon is a Pre-Health Datapalooza Event

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