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American Society of Echocardiography

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Echovation Challenge 2016

ASE is hosting a competition to foster and disseminate advances in cardiovascular ultrasound efficiency, and ultimately patient care.

This challenge is closed

stage:
Won
prize:
$5,500

This challenge is closed

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Summary
Timeline
Updates8
Forum
Teams115
FAQ
Summary

Overview

Challenge 2016: Cardiovascular Ultrasound Workflow Efficiency

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), an organization of professionals committed to excellence in cardiovascular ultrasound, is interested in providing the accelerant for innovative ideas, with the goal of improving cardiovascular ultrasound. This ASE Challenge provides a platform and forum for ASE members and others to offer ground-breaking solutions to the challenges that face cardiovascular ultrasound.

The Problem

Cardiovascular ultrasound is an exceptional clinical tool used to help provide insight into all aspects of cardiovascular disease. Iterative technology development within the field of ultrasound promotes clinical excellence; however, the evolution of healthcare economics are such that for any new imaging technology to be widely adopted in clinical practice in general it must be equaled or paralleled by an improvement in workflow efficiency.

The Challenge Objective

To showcase process and workflow innovations that have either been adopted or are in development in echocardiography laboratories throughout the United States and across the world. ASE is hosting a competition designed to encourage, and ultimately promulgate, advances in the cardiovascular field. In addition, ASE hopes to instigate connections in the field, linking researchers, industry, labs, engineers and thought-leaders to share information and educate one another.

The Challenge Breakthrough

ASE hopes to discover and promote the best practices and processes that have enhanced the workflow efficiency of cardiovascular laboratories while maintaining excellence in patient care. To discover how to best utilize human and capital resources along with the incorporation of novel technologies, including but not limited to 3D echocardiography, myocardial deformation (strain) imaging, or contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Submission Guidelines

Submissions must present an original idea or offer an innovative adaptation or approach to a previously implemented idea that relates directly to the cardiovascular ultrasound field. All submissions should have evidence of at least partial execution of concept. Such evidence may include research findings, documentation of time or cost savings, a prototype of a program or device, or any other relevant information.

Submissions can include, but are not limited to, the following: a technical or novel proposal, a concept paper or implemented echo practice re-design, pilot projects that are pragmatic and implementable that offer an innovative approach to improving workflow efficiency in echocardiography laboratories. Submissions are encouraged to be team-based projects—e.g., projects delivered by a partnership between a device manufacturer and an academic lab or a private practice office and a software developer or a team of researchers working with a lab(s) to demonstrate a novel idea.

Competitors must document and deliver their solution by:

Presenting a written document, no longer than 4 pages with content to include:

  • Introduction (outline the problem)
  • Solution or proposed solution
  • Outcome measures, such as research findings
  • What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned in the process?
  • What were / are the major roadblocks or difficulties you faced during the process?
  • How will this process or product change the field of CV ultrasound?

 

What You Can Do To Get Engaged

  • Click “Watch the Challenge" above to be notified of any status updates to the challenge.
  • Click "Yes Sign Me Up!" above to register for the 2016 challenge. You will be notified of any status updates and be able to create an entry to the challenge when it opens.
  • Click on the "Share" button or social media icons above to share this challenge with your friends, your family, or anyone you know who has a passion for discovery.
  • Leave a comment in our Comments Thread to join the conversation, ask questions, provide feedback, or connect with other innovators.

 

Additional Rules

The Challenge is open to all members of the American Society of Echocardiography and to the public at large. Submissions can be from a single individual or a group of individuals, although ASE strongly encourages innovators to work in teams. Teams could be comprised of a variety of stakeholders, including but not limited to physicians, sonographers, nurses, industry affiliates, and hospital administrators; we encourage you to be creative! At least one ASE member must be a part of each challenge submission group.

If you are not a current ASE member, please click here to learn about the benefits of ASE membership. ASE’s membership is open to anyone interested in cardiovascular ultrasound including engineers, industry, hospital administrators, scientists, etc.

To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the Challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement (available during Registration).

Registration and Submissions:

ASE plans to open the registration/submission period no later than November 30, 2015 (subject to change).

All submission materials must be submitted online on or before March 31, 2016 at 5:00 PM ET. No submissions will be accepted after this time. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. All submissions must be received online, via the Challenge website. 

Please note: All submissions will be private and only seen by relevant ASE staff and judges as needed. If your submission is chosen as a semi-finalist, you may be asked at a later date to provide a brief summary and/or video describing your solution, which will be posted publicly on the Challenge Portal for public voting.

Challenge Guidelines are subject to change. Registered competitors will receive notification when changes are made, however, we highly encourage you to visit the Challenge Site often to review updates.

How to Win the Challenge

Depending on the number and quality of submissions received, the judges will select up to 10 semi-finalists, who may be asked to submit additional materials for consideration.  Three finalists will then be selected and invited to present in front of an audience and live judging panel on Sunday, June 12, 2016 at the Seattle Convention Center, during ASE’s 27th Annual Scientific Sessions in Seattle, WA.  This live session will be interactive and feature a large viewing audience.

Other Details

No cost is associated with registering for this event.  All submissions agree to pay their own expenses to the ASE Scientific Sessions and underwrite any related presentation materials, should they be selected for presentation.  ASE will promote the finalists in their final program materials and to the media.

 

Evaluation & Awards

The prize

ASE will award three (3) prizes based on the most innovative, creative ideas and implementable plans, totaling $5,500. Winners and prizes will be determined by a combination of the Evaluation Panel and audience input; details of which will be provided at a later date.

The three cash prizes to be awarded are:

  • 1st Prize -  $3000
  • 2nd Prize -  $1500
  • 3rd Prize - $1000

In addition all three winners will be announced in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE), in media releases, via ASE’s social media channels, and in ASE member communications. One or more of the winning proposals may also be featured in a future issue of ASE’s ECHO magazine, distributed to all members and at multiple medical conferences.

The evaluation panel reserves the right to provide mentorship to promising submissions even if not selected for a monetary prize.

Evaluation Panel

The Phase 1 Evaluation Panel will be formally announced at a later date, and will include a variety of qualified individuals from the ASE membership. This panel will be responsible for evaluating all components of each submission. It will have the authority and discretion to select up to 10 semi-finalists and three finalists.

The Live Evaluation Panel may include some or all members of the Phase 1 Evaluation Panel, as well as additional qualified individuals from various medical and non-medical backgrounds. Evaluation Panel decisions and winners are final, binding and shall not be subject to appeal or change.

Evaluation Criteria

Winning submissions will describe an innovative idea to improve cardiovascular ultrasound workflow efficiency. Concepts to improve laboratory workflows and clinical efficiency may involve various new innovations including but not limited to the following: 

  • New or underutilized imaging modalities such as 3D echocardiography, strain imaging, contrast enhanced ultrasound 
  • New approaches in Big Data 
  • New display designs  
  • Cloud computing platforms
  • New laboratory designs
  • New mobile health technologies
  • New imaging and sensor based technologies 

 

*All concepts must incorporate cardiovascular ultrasound in the proposal.

The following scorecard will be used to assess competitor submissions.

Submission Evaluation Criteria

Maximum Points Awarded

Pragmatic and Sustainable; Ease of implementation / time to implementation

25

Cost Neutral

20

Reduces Patient Time in the Laboratory and or Provider Interpretation Time

15

Utilizes Capital Equipment more Efficiently

10

Incorporates New Technology (3D, Strain, Contrast, etc.)

10

“Wow” factor, creativity, innovative

20

Total

100

 

 

Timeline
Updates8

Challenge Updates

CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM ECHOPLAN!

June 14, 2016, 8:38 a.m. PDT by American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

During Sunday night's live finals competition, our audience and judging panel saw three fantastic presentations. The judges had a really tough job, and ultimately, Team EchoPlan was chosen as the Echovation Challenge 2016 First Place winner! Their presentation about incorporating Doppler flow data and other standard echo data to more accurately size the annulus prior to aortic valve replacement impressed the judges, as it could help eliminate or reduce pre-procedure testing that exposes patients to radiation and other risks. 

Team DiACardio came to Seattle all the way from Israel, and took the second place prize for their presentation about their echo processing software that allows full automation of important echo-derived information, which can speed up workflow. Team TeleHealthRobotics came in a close third for their presentation about using robotic technology to assist in performing transthoracic echo during minimally invasive aortic valve replacement procedures, which could allow echo practitioners to avoid radiation in the cath lab, and also to perform remote exams in rural or underserved areas.

Congratulations again to all three teams! Stay tuned for the announcement of Echovation 2017 very soon!

The Echovation Team


CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FINALISTS!

June 6, 2016, 7 a.m. PDT by American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

After a rigorous and very difficult judging process, the Echovation Team has selected three teams to compete live on June 12 in Seattle:

Team DiACardioAuto LV Function Evaluation Using Contrast Echo

Team EchoPlanGo With the Flow: Integrating Doppler Data into TAVR Planning

Team TeleHealthRoboticsTele -Robotic Ultrasound for Distance Imaging (TRUDI)

If you will be in Seattle for ASE's 27th Annual Scientific Sessions, we hope you will join us on Sunday, June 12 at 5:00pm PDT to watch the finalists present their solutions to an esteemed panel of judges from varied backgrounds within and outside of healthcare. The event will be held in Ballroom 6B of the Washington State Convention Center; doors open at 4:45pm, refreshments will be provided, and the audience will be able to submit questions for the finalists and help choose the winners!

We would also like to mention the other two submissions who finished in the "top five": TEE for modern times, from Jenn Monti, and All the better to SEE you with, my dear, from Team Rain City Hearts. ASE and the Echovation Team were very pleased with the number and quality of submissions overall, and we will be announcing plans for Echovation Challenge 2017 very soon, so stay tuned...and keep "echovating!"

 


JUDGING IS ALMOST COMPLETE!

April 29, 2016, 7:13 p.m. PDT by American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

Hi Echovators! Thank you all for your submissions; the ASE reviewers have been working diligently to review, score, and rank all of them. We received 35 submissions in total, and the reviewers have been very impressed with the quality and innovation represented in your solutions and proposals. You all have made their job really tough!

We just wanted to thank you for your patience, and to let you know that we are almost ready to notify the three finalists, hopefully by Tuesday, May 3, and then publicly announce them here on the portal by the end of the week.

Thanks to all, and we hope to see many of you in Seattle to celebrate your role in making the inaugural Echovation Challenge a great success!

Best wishes,

Andie & The Echovation Team 


REVISED SUBMISSION FORM - some additional options

March 31, 2016, 2:06 p.m. PDT by American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

Hello Echovators! Great to see all of you submitting your entries over the last few days! I wanted to let you know that we have added some additional optional fields in the submission form. So, if you have any video files, PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, or any other "supporting" materials you would like to include with your submission, you can do so.

NOTE: If you have already submitted, you can also add videos, images, and links via the Comments section on your Submission. Alternatively, if you have other file types you want to include (PPT, .xls, etc.) you can Edit your existing submission, following these steps:

1. Click on the blue button that shows the name of your individual submission on the main Echovation page (once you are logged in to the platform). Here’s a screenshot from my test account:

Once you click the blue button, you should get to a screen that offers an option to Edit the submission:

Once you click “Return to Editing” you will get a pop-up message asking if you are sure. Clicking Yes will “cancel” your original submission but it is still in the system to be edited & resubmitted:

The next screen you get to will look like this; click the Edit button to continue:

 

Once you click the Edit button, then you can add any additional files if you like, scroll to the bottom, and click Save Entry:

IMPORTANT!!!! After you click Save Entry, it will return you to the screen shown below. YOU MUST CLICK SUBMIT FINAL ENTRY in order to finalize the re-submission.

 

Then your edited submission should be complete. Please let me know if you run into any problems while editing or submitting.

Good Luck!

Andie & the Echovation Team


ONLY 25 HOURS LEFT TO ENTER!!!

March 30, 2016, 8 p.m. PDT by American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)

Hello Echovators! Just one last reminder that the deadline to submit or finalize your proposal on the platform is March 31 at 11:59pm EDT -- a mere 25 hours from now!

Please feel free to reach out by email through the HeroX platform or direct email () if you are experiencing any technical issues or have any questions. Best of luck to all and we are excited to start the judging process soon!

Happy Echovating!

Andie & the Echovation Team


Forum
Teams115
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1st place
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Test Team Test Team
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Heart 3D Heart 3D
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EpsilonImaging and University of Chicago EpsilonImaging and University of Chicago
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Life Guardian Life Guardian
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Go Trojans! Go Trojans!
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TeleHealthRobotics TeleHealthRobotics
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Architects of Echovation Architects of Echovation
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UTMB / Hitachi Aloka Medical America UTMB / Hitachi Aloka Medical America
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Rain City Hearts Rain City Hearts
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EchoPlan EchoPlan
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MyEchoMatters MyEchoMatters
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Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
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FAQ