NIA Launches Unique Challenge Competition for Alzheimer's Care Software

Submissions for the Improving Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Using Technology (iCare-AD/ADRD) Challenge opened on Oct. 1, reports the National Institute on Aging (NIA). This is NIA's first Eureka prize competition, which is part of the 21st Century Cures Act. The goal of the competition is to encourage and reward development of computer-based technology applications to improve dementia care coordination and/or care navigation, with up to $250,000 in cash prizes offered. The iCare-AD/ADRD Challenge spurs connections and collaborations between stakeholders by exploiting technology to apply these connections for enhancing dementia care. The Eureka prize format is seen as a faster means for cultivating such innovations than conventional National Institutes of Health funding mechanisms, while also offering an incentive for disparate entities to work together. Among suggested advancements is collaboration between a technology firm, an electronic health record (EHR) vendor, and nursing community chain to develop EHR-based methods for improving care coordination. Other solutions could entail behavioral "nudges" for care providers or recipients with smartphone technology, which could also be designed for use by people with dementia and their caregivers. The challenge was designed to appeal to stakeholders that include small businesses, individuals, midsize to large technology companies, health insurance firms, EHR vendors, students collaborating across multiple disciplines, health systems, states, and/or counties deploying care coordination programs.