After receiving “overwhelming interest” in a recent AI in healthcare challenge, CMS extended is judging period, the agency announced August 1.
The challenge, known as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Health Outcomes Challenge, as a call to innovators to develop AI tools that can predict unplanned hospital trips and skilled nursing facility admissions, in addition to other adverse events within 30 days for Medicare beneficiaries. The AI tools can use Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B administrative claims data.
In addition, participants will have to develop innovative strategies and methodologies with AI-driven predictions that can be explained to front-line clinicians and patients to provide appropriate clinical resources to model participants. They must also increase the use of AI-enhanced data feedback for quality improvement objectives of the model participants.
CMS receive more than 300 launch stage applications and needs more time to sort through them to pick finalists. The launch stage opened March 27, 2019. Instead of announcing the Stage 1 participants on August 2, 2019, CMS will announce them in October 2018. CMS also pushed back other finalist and submission dates, with the final awardees announced in September 2020 instead of May 4, 2020.
In total, winners will collectively receive $1.65 million, with seven finalists that will progress to Stage 2 and receive $60,000. A final grand prize winner will receive $1 million, with the runner-up receiving $230,000.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."