[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 18 (Friday, January 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4325-4326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1849]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``EHR 
Accessibility Challenge''

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The ``EHR Accessibility Challenge'' challenges 
multidisciplinary teams to create and test a module or application that 
makes it easy for disabled consumers to access and interact with the 
health data stored in their EHRs. Accessibility and usability in health 
IT are high priority issues for the disability community. A consumer-
oriented system providing easy-to-use access to health information 
would be a valuable tool and significantly improve the health of 
disabled individuals.
    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 January 24, 2012.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Subject of Challenge Competition: According to 2000 estimates from 
the U.S. Bureau of Census, people with disabilities constitute 19.3% of 
the non-institutionalized population 5 years of age or older. Among 
adults, individuals with disabilities are four times as likely to 
report having fair or poor health compared to those without a 
disability (40% vs. 10%). Health expenditures for people with 
disabilities are estimated at $400 billion, more than a quarter of all 
heath expenditures.
    Health information technology (HIT) and electronic health records 
(EHRs) hold great promise in improving the health outcomes and 
coordination of care for people with disabilities. However, the 
accessibility and usability of HIT is a matter of serious concern to 
people of diverse disabilities, including those who have vision, 
hearing,

[[Page 4326]]

intellectual, manual dexterity, mental health, developmental and other 
types of disabilities.
    ONC is challenging multidisciplinary teams to create and test a 
module or application that makes it easy for disabled consumers to 
access and interact with the health data stored in their EHRs. The 
application should be easy for individuals with disabilities to consume 
and interact with their health data, be simple to install and learn to 
use, identify and link to relevant local or online communities and 
organizations, be able to download data from one or more EHR systems, 
and leverage and extend NwHIN standards and services.
    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., EDT, January 24, 
2012.
     Submission Period Ends: 11:59 p.m., EDT, July 23, 2012.
    Registration Process for Participants:
    To register for this challenge participants should:
     Access the www.challenge.gov Web site and search for the 
``EHR Accessibility Challenge''.
     Access the ONC Investing in Innovation (i2) Challenge Web 
site at:
    [cir] http://www.health2challenge.org/onc-i2-challenges/
    [cir] A registration link for the challenge can be found on the 
landing page under the challenge description.
    Amount of the Prize:
     First Prize: $60,000.
     Second Prize: $20,000.
     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. Design and Usability for the Disabled User.
    2. Creative and Innovative Use of Technologies.
    3. Compliance with disability and accessibility standards including 
508 and W3C.
    4. Integration of Module with HIT and EHR Systems.
    5. Potential for Impact and Ability to Drive Adoption and 
Engagement.
    6. Use of NwHIN standards including transport, content, and 
vocabularies.
    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.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: January 23, 2012.
Farzad Mostashari,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2012-1849 Filed 1-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-45-P