[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 93 (Monday, May 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28391-28392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11591]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Ocular
Imaging Challenge''
AGENCY: Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology, HHS.
ACTION: Notice.
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Award Approving Official: Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
SUMMARY: The ``Ocular Imaging Challenge'' is a multidisciplinary call
to innovators and software developers to create an application that
improves interoperability among office-based ophthalmic imaging
devices, measurement devices, and EHRs.
Documentation of the typical ophthalmology examination in an
electronic health record (EHR) continues to be challenging. This
creates barriers to full acceptance and use of EHRs within the medical
community. Data and images are often stored on the acquisition devices
in proprietary databases and file formats, and therefore have limited
connectivity with EHR systems and ophthalmology-specific picture
archiving and communication systems (PACS). There are often problems
with redundant entry of demographic and clinical data into devices,
data transfer from devices to EHRs and PACS without proprietary
interfaces, workflow challenges, and difficulty connecting systems from
different vendors. These same challenges occur in a plurality of other
medical specialties that employ office-based testing and measurement.
Given this fact, there is every expectation that the success of this
challenge will be translatable to practices that use imaging and
measurement devices such as otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose, and
throat), physiatry (physical medicine and rehabilitation), and
cardiology, among others.
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 May 14, 2012. Challenge submission period ends
November 9, 2012, 11:59 p.m. et.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Wong, 202-720-2866; Wil Yu, 202-
690-5920
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Subject of Challenge Competition
The ``Ocular Imaging Challenge'' is a multidisciplinary call to
innovators and software developers to create an application that
improves interoperability among office-based ophthalmic imaging
devices, measurement devices, and EHRs. This application should:
Convert output from legacy ophthalmic imaging and
measurement devices from proprietary formats to vendor-neutral standard
formats (e.g. using freeware DICOM tools)
Archive data from multiple imaging and measurement devices
Display images and data for clinicians, and permit basic
functionalities such as optimizing viewing parameters (e.g. brightness,
contrast, color, zoom, pan)
Integrate with existing EHRs (e.g. ``single sign-on'')
Where applicable, leverage and extend NwHIN standards and
services including, but not limited to, transport (Direct, web
services), content (Transitions of Care, CCD/CCR), and standardized
vocabularies
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 the 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.
(4) May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within
the scope of their employment.
(5) Shall not be an HHS employee working on their applications or
submissions during assigned duty hours.
(6) Shall not be an employee of Office of the National Coordinator
for Health IT.
(7) Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop COMPETES
Act challenge applications unless consistent with the purpose of their
grant award.
(8) Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract
to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in
support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission.
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.
Entrants must 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 my participation in this prize contest,
whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or
otherwise.
Entrants must also agree to indemnify the Federal Government
against third party claims for damages arising from or related to
competition activities.
Registration Process for Participants
To register for this challenge participants should:
[ssquf] Access the www.challenge.gov Web site and search for the
``Ocular Imaging Challenge''.
[ssquf] Access the ONC Investing in Innovation (i2) Challenge Web
site at:
[cir] http://www.health2con.com/devchallenge/challenges/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
[ssquf] First Prize: $100,000
[ssquf] Second Prize: $35,000
[ssquf] Third Prize: $15,000
Awards may be subject to Federal income taxes and HHS will comply
with IRS withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.
Payment of the Prize
Prize will be paid by contractor.
Basis Upon Which Winner Will Be Selected
The ONC review panel will make selections based upon the following
criteria:
[ssquf] Breadth of input devices and formats
[[Page 28392]]
[cir] The solution will accept output from a wide range of
ophthalmic devices and input formats, and convert to standard DICOM
formats (e.g. using freeware tools).
[ssquf] Usability and interface for image viewing
[cir] The solution will have an easy-to-use interface for
clinicians with a range of experience and comfort level with
technology.
[cir] The solution will provide the ability to view and annotate
diagnostic-quality ophthalmic images.
[ssquf] Integration with workflow
[cir] The solution will be convenient to integrate into clinical
ophthalmology workflow, to install on existing office hardware
platforms, and to integrate with existing EHR systems (e.g. ``single
sign-on'').
[ssquf] Platform Neutrality
Additional Information
Ownership of intellectual property is determined by the following:
[ssquf] 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.
[ssquf] 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: May 7, 2012.
Farzad Mostashari,
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
[FR Doc. 2012-11591 Filed 5-11-12; 8:45 am]
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