ONC, HHS Officials Announce Winners of Health App Contests

On Wednesday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and Health 2.0 announced the winners of a contest that challenged software developers to create applications using the popHealth framework, Modern Healthcare reports (Lee, Modern Healthcare, 2/23).

In February 2010, ONC made the open-source popHealth software available to help health care providers cull data from electronic health record systems to discern trends among patient populations.

The Web-based tool can automate the collection and reporting of clinical quality data for Stage 1 of the meaningful use program. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR systems can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments.