[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 179 (Thursday, September 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57044-57045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23704]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Ensuring Safe 
Transitions From Hospital to Home''

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719.

AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 
Technology, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The ``Ensuring Safe Transitions from Hospital to Home'' 
challenge tasks developers with creating technology solutions that 
empower discharged patients to take charge of their health care during 
transitions of places of care. Innovative applications will help 
patients and their caregivers insure that they have all the information 
and materials, such as drug prescriptions, medical equipment, follow-up 
appointments, and emergency contacts, that they need to move safely to 
their next care setting.
    The statutory authority for this challenge competition is Section 
105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-
358).

DATES: Effective on September 12, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Adam Wong, 202-720-2866.
Wil Yu, 202-690-5920.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Subject of Challenge Competition: ONC, in collaboration with the 
Partnership for Patients, seeks to stimulate innovative approaches to 
care transitions and improving patient safety. Nearly one in five 
patients discharged from a hospital will be readmitted within 30 days. 
A large proportion of readmissions can be prevented by improving 
communications and coordinating care before and after discharge. The 
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides a discharge 
checklist to help patients and their caregivers prepare to leave a 
hospital, nursing home, or other care setting. Research has shown that 
empowering patients and caregivers with information and tools to manage 
the next steps in their care more confidently is a very effective way 
to reduce errors, decrease complications, and prevent a return visit to 
the hospital. ONC is challenging software developers to improve care 
transitions and build upon these tools by generating an intuitive and 
easy-to-use application to empower patients and caregivers that 
leverages NwHIN standards and services.

[[Page 57045]]

    Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Competition:
    To be eligible to win a prize under this challenge, an individual 
or entity:
    (1) Shall have registered to participate in the competition under 
the rules promulgated by Office of the National Coordinator for Health 
Information Technology;
    (2) Shall have complied with all the requirements under this 
section;
    (3) In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and 
maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the 
case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, 
shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; and
    (4) May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within 
the scope of their employment.
    An individual or entity shall not be deemed ineligible because the 
individual or entity used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal 
employees during a competition if the facilities and employees are made 
available to all individuals and entities participating in the 
competition on an equitable basis.
    Registered participants shall be required to agree to assume any 
and all risks and waive claims against the Federal Government and its 
related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any 
injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, 
whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their 
participation in a competition, whether the injury, death, damage, or 
loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
    Participants shall be required to obtain liability insurance or 
demonstrate financial responsibility, in amounts determined by the head 
of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 
Technology, for claims by--
    (1) A third party for death, bodily injury, or property damage, or 
loss resulting from an activity carried out in connection with 
participation in a competition, with the Federal Government named as an 
additional insured under the registered participant's insurance policy 
and registered participants agreeing to indemnify the Federal 
Government against third party claims for damages arising from or 
related to competition activities; and
    (2) the Federal Government for damage or loss to Government 
property resulting from such an activity.
    Participants must be teams of at least two people.
    All participants are required to provide written consent to the 
rules upon or before submitting an entry.
    Dates:
     Submission Period Begins: 12:01 a.m., E.D.T., September 
12, 2011.
     Submission Period Ends: 11:59 p.m., E.D.T., November 16, 
2011.
    Registration Process for Participants:
    To register for this challenge participants should:
     Access the http://www.challenge.gov Web site and search 
for the ``Ensuring Safe Transitions from Hospital to Home''.
     Access the ONC Investing in Innovation (i2) Challenge Web 
site at:
    [cir] http://www.health2challenge.org/category/onc/
    [cir] A registration link for the challenge can be found on the 
landing page under the challenge description.
    Amount of the Prize:
     First Prize: $25,000.
     Second Prize: $10,000.
     Third Prize: $5,000.
    Awards may be subject to Federal income taxes and HHS will comply 
with IRS withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.
    Basis Upon Which Winner Will Be Selected:
    The judging panel will make selections based upon the following 
criteria:
    1. Innovation.
    2. Usability/Design.
    3. Potential for impact.
    4. Data integration.
    5. Use of NwHIN standards and services.
    Additional Information:
    Ownership of intellectual property is determined by the following:
     Each entrant retains title and full ownership in and to 
their submission. Entrants expressly reserve all intellectual property 
rights not expressly granted under the challenge agreement.
     By participating in the challenge, each entrant hereby 
irrevocably grants to Sponsor and Administrator a limited, non-
exclusive, royalty free, worldwide, license and right to reproduce, 
publically perform, publically display, and use the Submission to the 
extent necessary to administer the challenge, and to publically perform 
and publically display the Submission, including, without limitation, 
for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the challenge.

    Dated: September 8, 2011.
Farzad Mostashari,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011-23704 Filed 9-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-45-P