Showcase started by Regenstrief research scientist now offers $25k in prize money
Three years ago, Regenstrief Institute research scientist and Indiana University School of Medicine professor Titus Schleyer, DMD, PhD, started a showcase looking for the most innovative FHIR®-based apps in use in real-world settings. The event has been so successful, it is now a permanent part of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Annual Symposium.
AMIA’s annual meeting is the premier symposium for the science and practice of biomedical informatics, bringing together informatics professionals from diverse backgrounds. AMIA’s mission is to use informatics to transform healthcare.
Creators of applications that use the FHIR standard are invited to submit their product to the competition, put on by AMIA and HL7. The app must be in use in a real-world setting, and address a real-world need in an efficient and effective way while providing clinical value. The goal is to expose these apps to a large audience and possibly broaden their adoption.
The top 10 entries are chosen to present during the competition, and attendees vote on the top three. This year, the top three will split a cash prize of $25,000. This is the first time money has been given out as a prize.
“FHIR has become one of the most rapidly implemented methods for accessing data in health information technology systems,” said competition founder Dr. Schleyer. “The competition is a great place for developers, clinicians, informaticians and standards developers to come together to pursue innovation with significant impact on the real world.”
FHIR stands for Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. It is a standard describing data formats and elements and an application programming interface for exchanging electronic health records published by HL7 (Health Level Seven International). It is widely used by providers, developers and vendors to create healthcare tools.
Regenstrief program coordinator Emily Fortier is facilitating the organization of this year’s competition. She is managing the process of the competition, recruiting panel judges and helping with marketing and planning for the future. Dr. Schleyer is mentoring her through the process, while also facilitating strategic partnerships to set the competition up for success.
Entries will be accepted at the AMIA/HL7 FHIR® Applications Competition site until October 1, 2020. Due to COVID-19, AMIA’s symposium will be virtual this year, November 14-18, as will the AMIA/HL7 FHIR Applications Competition. The competition is Tuesday, November 17.
The first two years of the competition included entries from Hitachi America, the University of Utah, the MITRE Corporation, the Mayo Clinic and Emory University, among many others.
About Titus K. Schleyer, DMD, PhD
In addition to his role as research scientist, Titus K. Schleyer, DMD, PhD, is the program director of learning health informatics at Regenstrief. He is also a professor of biomedical informatics at Indiana University School of Medicine. He is the former treasurer of AMIA.
About Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Regenstrief Institute is celebrating 50 years of healthcare innovation. Sam Regenstrief, a successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.
About IU School of Medicine
IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.
About AMIA – American Medical Informatics Association
AMIA, the leading professional association for informatics professionals, is the center of action for 5,500 informatics professionals from more than 65 countries. As the voice of the nation’s top biomedical and health informatics professionals, AMIA and its members play a leading role in assessing the effect of health innovations on health policy and advancing the field of informatics. AMIA actively supports five domains in informatics: translational bioinformatics, clinical research informatics, clinical informatics, consumer health informatics, and public health informatics.
About HL7
Founded in 1987, Health Level Seven International (HL7) is a not-for-profit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization dedicated to providing a comprehensive framework and related standards for the exchange, integration, sharing and retrieval of electronic health information that supports clinical practice and the management, delivery and evaluation of health services.
