A New York Hospital Reaps Innovative Ideas from Hackathon
by Mark S. Gothberg
A hackathon, where different groups of software designers and developers collaborate on specific projects for one day or up to a couple of weeks, has been around for many years. This past March, NewYork-Presbyterian sponsored the first hospital-focused hackathon in New York—and one of the few centered on healthcare anywhere. The two-day event saw 17 teams compete for $85,000 in cash prizes. Called InnovateNYP, the hackathon focused on programs that would enhance and improve myNYP, the hospital’s online patient portal.
In healthcare, the most notable hackathons have been sponsored by MIT Media Labs, run annually since 2011. But hackathons are relatively rare in healthcare, says Helen Kotchoubey, corporate director of IT for patient engagement at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
“Our IT department has always been looking for ways to enhance our relationship with patients. We launched our patient portal in 2009 with the philosophy that the patient owns the data, and we have been constantly seeking ways to expand the portal’s benefits,” Kotchoubey says. “We got excited about the opportunity to get the input of people familiar with healthcare—but not working in it—on how to change the patient experience with our hospital through technology.”
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