FAQs

A health standards and data innovation Code-A-Thon soliciting projects that uses distributed ledger technology to address the following obstacles in health IT:

• Identity Management and APIs: Demonstrate the use of blockchain to support the identity management requirements for APIs for both provider-to-provider and patient-mediated exchange.
• Metadata Tagging and Policy Expression: Demonstrate the use of blockchain for security metadata and tagging to manage access, provide auditing and provenance information.
• Data Aggregation and Linkage: Use of blockchain technology to securely aggregate, link and share patient data to the destination of their choice.

The event builds on ONC’s exploration into blockchain’s use in Healthcare and will challenge teams to develop and present concepts on the blockchain to that support specific obstacles in Health IT. The code-A-Thon also fulfills the goals of the innovations area of ONC’s Tech lab for coordination and engagement with start-up communities, the administration of challenge contests, and monitors standards and technology innovations on the horizon

Interested parties who do not wish to be part of the Code-a-thon contest may participate as an “observer” and attend the educational “Office Hours” sessions where they will hear from select industry leaders about their real world implementation of distributed ledger technologies and/or other open services.

The competition will begin at 8am on March 14, 2017 and will end at 12:30pm March 15, 2017. The event will take place in the Fisher Colloquium inside the Rafik B. Hariri Building at the Georgetown University.

The challenge website (insert link) is the best source of information for this challenge and will be updated frequently. ONC will also host informational webinars for prospective participants on February 17th and March 1st.

The Code-a-thon awards are not grants. It is a prize competition run under the authority of the America COMPETES Act, which enables ONC to invest in innovation through research and development. Challenges are a way for HHS employees to draw on external talent and ideas to solve critical problems.

Coders, developers, industry experts, academia but we welcome anyone interested in Blockchain use in healthcare to join.

Teams should be made up of 2-5 participants. Teams may not be set in advance. Informal formation of teams is encouraged however; team formation will be finalized at the event.

1. Based on number of registrants, we will ask that you consider taking on additional team members if needed.
2. ALL individuals in a team must meet the eligibility requirements and comply with the Code-a-thon Code of Conduct.

Submissions are due no later than 7:00 am on Wednesday, March 15^th via the Challenge site and posted to GitHub.

The total prize money for this Challenge is $15,000. Cash prizes will be awarded as follows:

• (3) Third place winners will receive $1,000 ea; (2) Second Place winners will receive $2,000 ea; (1) First prize winner will receive $ 5,000. There will be up to (6) honorable mention awardees that will receive $500 ea.

Winners will be announced at the Chamber of Digital Commerce’s Blockchain Summit following the Code-A-Thon. ONC will also publically announce the winners later in that week via a Press Release and on the ONC Tech Lab Innovation page.

The scope of this Code-A-Thon is limited to solutions developed on the blockchain that address the 3 identified tracks.

Projects can be started in advance as long as they have been posted with a creative commons license to the public domain for others potential use.