NSF Grants Funding to Patient Privacy Solution & More News...

UT and Vanderbilt Develop Tool to Safeguard Patient Data for COVID-19 Research

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $200,000 grant to researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas and Vanderbilt University Medical Center who are developing an open-source tool for COVID-19. The software aims to address security concerns behind personal-level data use and sharing as COVID-19 research continues and contact tracing apps become more widespread. Combining location data with a person’s medical history increases the risk of being able to identify patients. The tool could flag instances where data should only be shared on a restricted basis. 

Catalyst @ Health 2.0 Launches Rapid Response Open Calls (RROCs) in Response to COVID-19 

Applications for Rapid Response Open Calls (RROCs) are still OPEN! RROCs are launched on Catalyst’s Health Tech Responds to COVID-19 platform, and aim to connect health care providers with urgent needs to the digital health community. RROCs can be streamlined within days, and have the potential to support organizations, hospitals, health systems, and more to leverage health tech solutions to maximize their response to COVID-19. 

Interested in learning more about the ways we can work together to solve your organization’s needs? Click here. 

RWJF Emergency Response for the General Public Challenge: Apps Closing Soon

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is seeking digital health tools that can support the diverse needs of individuals during an emergency situation. During an emergency situation, (e.g. pandemics and outbreaks, natural disasters or severe weather, radiation and chemical spills) the public faces a deluge of information, misinformation, and recommendations. In addition, they may lack access to vital resources like health care, medications for chronic conditions, emotional support, food, and shelter. These challenges may have potentially life-threatening implications for individuals and their communities. 

Example solutions include:

• Solutions that help consumers understand clinical guidelines/recommendations during an outbreak

• Apps that connect consumers with resources (e.g. cleaning supplies, medications, testing capability) during an emergency or disaster

• Technologies that address consumers’ physical and mental well-being during and following emergencies

How the challenge works:
In Phase I, innovators submit their tech-enabled solutions addressing the challenge topic by June 12th, 2020 11:59 PM ET. Judges will evaluate the entries based on Impact, UX/UI, Innovation/Creativity, and Scalability. The top five teams will move onto Phase II.

Do you have a health tech solution that can address the obstacles faced by the general public during an emergency? Apply today! 

COVID-19 Expert Insights & More News...

Announcing: Subsidized Rapid Response Open Calls (RROC)

With support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Catalyst @ Health 2.0 is proud to fund Rapid Response Open Calls for health care providers with limited resources to identify and source digital health innovation during COVID-19. RROCs can be launched within days and are designed to quickly connect health care providers with health tech solutions.

If you are interested in hosting a subsidized open call or learning more, click HERE!

COVID-19 Insights: Data Accessibility for Health Care Innovation

Catalyst is featuring experts in digital health, emergency response, and more. Lonnie Kurlander is the Founder and former CEO of Medal, whose mission is to enable a globally accessible and useful record of health. 

Lonnie Kurlander, Founder and former CEO of Medal, is driven by the idea that accessibility to data encourages innovation and interoperability.  She believes open-source databases and data visualization are important for combatting COVID-19 because they create data liquidity and provide access to relevant data points. Standards for health information exchange like HL7’s FHIR facilitate access to information. This can optimize care delivery across different modes such as telemedicine as well as  enhance current EHR capabilities. FHIR-based apps are now being used against COVID-19. For example, in April 2020, the CDC launched a FHIR-based application eCR Now, which automates COVID-19 electronic case reporting. It gives public health officials a more detailed and real-time view of the spread of the virus. Despite modifications to data sharing policies made earlier this year, such as the finalization of HHS’ information blocking rules, Lonnie hopes to see overarching policy changes for individual patient-level data transfer and the implementation of FHIR to improve care delivery.

Read more about Lonnie Kurlander’s insights and find more original content on Health Tech Responds to COVID-19.

Open Applications: RWJF Emergency Response for the Health Care System Challenge

According to the World Health Organization, health care providers fighting COVID-19 are at an elevated risk of exposure to hazards like pathogens and can face long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout, stigma, and physical and psychological violence.

Catalyst, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has launched the Emergency Response for the Health Care System Innovation Challenge. It is seeking digital health solutions that have the ability to address health care systems’ needs and priority areas during pandemics, natural disasters or severe weather (hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, or earthquakes), radiation, and chemical spills.

How the Challenge Works:
In Phase I, innovators submit their tech-enabled solutions addressing the challenge topic by June 12th, 2020 11:59PM ET.

Submissions will be evaluated and scored based on the following criteria:

• Impact: How well does your technology address the challenge question?

• UX/UI: How strong is the design and intuitiveness of your technology?

• Innovation/Creativity: How unique is your technology?

• Scalability: What is the solution’s potential for widespread adoption?

Example Solutions for Health Care System Challenge:

• Apps that alert nearby healthcare professionals on emergency volunteer opportunities with an integrated registration form and checklist on what is needed

• AR/VR solutions that helps train professionals on emergency protocols

• Apps that analyze medical notes/symptoms and alerts health care providers if it matches CDC’s clinical guidelines/risks assessments on ongoing outbreaks

Do you have a health tech solution that can support the health care system when faced with an emergency? Apply today!