[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44812-44814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-20535]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


COMPETES Reauthorization Act Challenge Competition

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of 
Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA's) 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) announces a prize competition 
for the Improving Care for Children and Youth--Incentive Prize. MCHB is 
sponsoring the Improving Care for Children and Youth challenge to spur 
innovative solutions to overcoming barriers to accessing health care 
and high-quality services faced by families. This challenge will reward 
the development and testing of scalable innovations that improve care 
for children and youth.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessie Buerlein, Office of Policy and 
Planning, MCHB, [email protected], (301) 443-8931 and James Resnick, 
Office of the Associate Administrator, MCHB, [email protected], (301) 
334-3222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 4, 2011, the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 was signed into law allowing the use of 
challenges and prize competitions increasing agencies' ability to 
promote and harness innovation. Competitions run by the federal 
government result in a number of benefits to the public, including the 
following:
    (a) Increasing the number and diversity of the individuals, teams, 
and organizations that are addressing a particular problem or challenge 
of national significance;
    (b) Improving the skills of the participants in the competition; 
and
    (c) Directing attention to new market opportunities and stimulating 
private sector investment.
    This challenge, which will be structured in phases with a narrowing 
of applicants through each phase to result in one final winner, will 
reach a diverse population of innovators and problem solvers, including 
families, coders, public health experts, community leaders, individuals 
affiliated with academic institutions, research and development 
communities in the private sector, and others.

[[Page 44813]]

    All submissions will be evaluated and separate prizes will be 
awarded for each of the three phases below.

Phase 1: Design
Phase 2: Development and Small Scale Testing
Phase 3: Scaling

    Estimated dates for each phase are as follows:

Phase 1: Effective on January 2, 2018
Phase 1 Submission Period Ends: January 31, 2018, 11:59 p.m. ET
Phase 1 Judging Period: February 1-February 28, 2018
Phase 1 Winners Announced: March 12, 2018
Phase 2 Begins: March 13, 2018
Phase 2 Submission Period Ends: July 11, 2018
Phase 2 Judging Period: July 12-August 12, 2018
Phase 2 Winners Announced: August 20, 2018
Phase 3 Begins: August 21, 2018
Phase 3 Submission Period Ends: February 21, 2019
Phase 3 Winner Announced: March 1, 2019

Subject of Challenge Competition

    MCHB is sponsoring the Improving Care for Children and Youth 
Challenge. The goal is to spur innovative solutions to overcoming 
barriers to accessing high-quality health care faced by families. This 
challenge will reward the development and testing of scalable 
innovations that can improve health outcomes for children and youth.
    While insurance coverage is the first critical step in ensuring 
access to health care, it alone does not ensure access to care, and 
children who have insurance coverage may still face hurdles in 
receiving the high-quality, individualized care they need. Other 
factors that include social determinants of health also impact access 
to high-quality care, such as socioeconomic, environmental, and 
behavioral factors.\1\
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    \1\ Future Child. 2015 Spring; 25(1): 65-90.
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    Various types of technology have proven successful in improving 
access to care, improving efficiency in health care, improving quality 
of care, and empowering patients and consumers.\2\ E-health is a field 
of research and practice that involves the application of digital 
technologies to assist or deliver health interventions. These health 
interventions can be in various forms, including: Web sites offering 
information, support and interactive e-therapies including health apps, 
virtual reality systems, relaxation training, etc.\3\ Another example 
is the development and use of assistive technologies, which can greatly 
aid those living with disabilities. Many agencies have effectively used 
prizes and challenges, such as NASA, the Department of Energy, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency. This challenge will be an effective 
mechanism to cultivate innovations by creating the incentives needed to 
attract a broad array of competing innovators to improve care for 
children and youth.
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    \2\ Harrison, J et al (2006) The Role of E-health in the 
Changing Health Care Environment. Nurse Econ. 24(6): 283-288.
    \3\ Thabrew, Hiran et al (2016). Game for health: How eHealth 
approaches might address psychological needs of children and young 
people with long-term physical conditions. Journal of Paediatrics 
and Clinical Health.
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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 HRSA and the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS).
    (2) Shall have complied with all the requirements under this 
section.
    (3) Private entities shall be incorporated in and maintain a 
primary place of business in the United States, and individuals, 
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) May not be employees of HRSA or any other company, 
organization, or individual involved with the design, production, 
execution, judging, or distribution of the Challenge and their 
immediate family (spouse, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-
siblings, and children and step-children) and household members (people 
who share the same residence at least three months out of the year).
    (7) In the case of a federal grantee, may not use federal funds to 
develop COMPETES Act challenge applications unless consistent with the 
purpose of their grant award.
    (8) In the case of a federal contractor, 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.
    (9) 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 equitably 
available to all individuals and entities participating in the 
competition.
    (10) 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 the participation in this prize contest, 
whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or 
otherwise.
    (11) Must also agree to indemnify the federal government against 
third party claims for damages arising from or related to competition 
activities.
    (12) Shall not be currently on the Excluded Parties List (https://www.epls.gov/).

Submission Requirements

    The Challenge has three phases.

Phase 1--Design

    The first stage of the prize competition aims to attract a large 
set of ideas and innovators. The target product of the first stage will 
be the conceptualization of the most promising innovations to help 
support improvements in health care for children and youth (and their 
families). The submissions should aim to demonstrate that the proposed 
intervention will be accessible across and impactful to users from 
diverse backgrounds.
    The Phase 1 submission shall include:
    1. A comprehensive description of the proposed intervention in five 
pages or less, including:
    a. A one-paragraph executive summary that clearly states the 
barrier(s) to access to be overcome by the intervention and a brief 
description of the proposed intervention;
    b. Background information providing evidence to support the 
intervention;
    c. A description of how the applicant arrived at their idea;
    d. Descriptions of the methods and technologies involved in 
implementation of the intervention; and
    e. An assessment describing the applicant's ability to execute the 
proposed solution in Phase 2 and 3.

Phase 2--Development and Small Scale Testing

    The winners of Phase 1 of the prize competition will then advance 
to a second stage focused on prototyping the technology and testing the 
effectiveness

[[Page 44814]]

of the intervention. Using support from the Phase 1 prize funding, 
intervention developers will test the efficacy of their models to show 
that the proposed intervention will improve health care for children 
and families. The applicants should also demonstrate the intervention's 
usability among the target population. Mentors will be available to 
help participants design appropriate testing methodologies and learn 
more about the evidence base.

Phase 3--Scaling

    The final phase will involve testing the most promising models at 
greater scale through rollout at the program or community level. This 
will test the scalability of the device, the feasibility of 
implementation, and the impact on intended outcomes.

Registration Process for Participants

    Participants will be able to register and submit an entry at the 
Improving Care for Children and Youth Challenge Web site. Participants 
can find out more information at https://www.challenge.gov/list/.

Prizes

 Total: $375,000 in Prizes
    [cir] Phase 1: 7-10 winners; up to a total of $100,000 in prizes
    [cir] Phase 2: 3-5 winners; up to a total of $125,000 in prizes
    [cir] Phase 3: 1 winner; up to a total of $150,000 prize

Payment of the Prizes

    Prize payments will be paid by a contractor. Phase 1 winners may be 
expected to use a portion of the prize money for travel and lodging to 
attend a 2-day meeting in Washington, DC, to demonstrate their 
innovation to the judges.
    Prizes awarded under this competition will be paid by electronic 
funds transfer and may be subject to Federal income taxes. HHS will 
comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting 
requirements, where applicable.

Basis for Winner Selection

    A review panel composed of HHS employees and experts will judge 
challenge entries in compliance with the requirements of the America 
COMPETES Act and HHS judging guidelines: http://www.hhs.gov/idealab/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/HHS-COMPETITION-JUDGING-GUIDELINES.pdf.
    The review panel will make selections based upon the following 
criteria:

Phase 1

Accessibility
     Is the proposed intervention easily utilized by families 
of diverse economic, social, and cultural backgrounds? Is it functional 
across disciplines/users?
Measurability
     How easily will the proposed intervention be evaluated in 
order to determine its efficacy (in both lab testing and in the real 
world)? Is the proposed intervention measurable among various 
audiences?
Sustainability
     Does the proposed intervention compel users to utilize the 
technology often and/or for long periods of time? Does it fit into 
daily life? Is it fun to use?
Impact
     Does the applicant present a theory or explanation of how 
the proposed intervention would result in concrete change?

Phase 2

Impact
     How did the intervention impact outcomes for parents/
caregivers and children? What did data show?
Evidence Base
     Is the intervention grounded in existing science related 
to improving health care and related services for children and 
families?
Sustainability
     Was the intervention compelling to users and did it 
encourage users to use the technology often? Did users want to engage 
continuously with the technology?
Implementation
     How feasible is the intervention? How much support for 
implementation will the intervention require (estimated financial and 
time commitment)?

Phase 3

Impact
     How effective was the intervention when implemented at 
scale? Did the impacts on users from Phase 2 remain consistent?
Implementation
     How feasible was the intervention on a larger scale? How 
much support for implementation did the model require (financial and 
time commitment)? How challenging was the actual program 
implementation?
Scalability
     How costly was the intervention in a real-world setting? 
How likely are cost efficiencies for program delivery at greater scale? 
Can the technology be used in existing platforms?

Additional Information

    General Conditions:
     HRSA reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify 
the contest, or any part of it, for any reason, at HRSA's sole 
discretion.
     The interventions submitted across all phases should not 
use the HHS or HRSA logos or official seals in the submission, and must 
not claim endorsement.

Intellectual Property

     Each entrant retains full ownership and title 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 HRSA a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, 
worldwide license and right to reproduce, publically perform, 
publically display, and use the submission for internal HHS business 
and 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.
     Record Retention and FOIA: All materials submitted to HRSA 
as part of a submission become HRSA records and cannot be returned. Any 
confidential commercial information contained in a submission should be 
designated at the time of submission. Participants will be notified of 
any Freedom of Information Act requests for their submissions in 
accordance with 45 CFR 5.65.
    The statutory authority for this challenge competition is Section 
105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (COMPETES Act, 
Pub. L. 111-358) as amended by section 401(b) of the American 
Innovation and Competitiveness Act, Public Law 114-329.

    Dated: September 19, 2017.
George Sigounas,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-20535 Filed 9-25-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P