On Tuesday, September 27, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, as part of the Million Hearts Initiative, launched a developer’s challenge to create an application engaging consumers in improving their own cardiovascular health.

The challenge is part of the Investing in Innovation Initiative (i2), and is designed to spark the creation of new consumer-focused applications. Challenges are created in conjunction with Health 2.0 and often in partnership with various other HHS agencies and initiatives.

A Multidisciplinary Call to Innovators and Developers

The “Be One in a Million Hearts” Challenge is a multidisciplinary call to innovators and developers to create an application that activates and engages patients to better manage their cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America. The goal of the Million Hearts Initiative is to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes over five years by reducing the number of people who need treatment and improving the quality of treatment for those who do need it.

Improving Care of the ABCS

The initiative will include a range of community and clinical programs to improve care of the ABCS:

A. Aspirin for people at high risk,

B. Blood pressure control,

C. Cholesterol management, and

S. Smoking cessation.

Activating consumers to achieve these goals are the focus of the “Be One in a Million Hearts Challenge.” Successful applications will incorporate evidence-based practice regarding the ABCS into innovative applications that better arm consumers with targeted resources and tools to get heart healthy.