It’s almost two months to the day since CHIME and HeroX officially kicked off the National Patient ID Challenge at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Since then, there’s been a considerable amount of activity. Already, 230 innovators from 28 countries have signed up for the challenge.
CHIME Board Chair Marc Probst highlighted the challenge during his opening remarks at the CHIME-HIMSS CIO Forum in Las Vegas last month, saying it was a “bold step” for the organization. “A national patient ID will help save lives and improve care in the future,” Probst told the gathering of more than 700 health IT leaders. “This is a momentous step for us to take as an organization. We should all be proud of what CHIME is doing.”
The challenge has also spurred more public conversation on the importance of accurate patient identification and patient matching, including coverage in such media outlets as InformationWeek, Stat News, HealthLeaders, Modern Healthcare and more. CHIME is partnering with HealthSystemCIO for a March 24 webinar on the challenge and the issue of patient identification.
So what’s next? CHIME and HeroX are in the process of building a judging panel as the challenge moves along with the Concept Blitz phase. The goal during this early stage is to get as many innovators as possible to submit their creative ideas without having to present a full solution just yet. Winners of the Concept Blitz round will be named in early May. After that, innovators can begin to flesh out their final designs, which are due by November 10. A full timeline can be seen here.
