The FINANCIAL -- Janssen Healthcare Innovation , a team within Janssen Research & Development, LLC., announced the Janssen Connected Care Challenge at the Health Care Innovations Summit in Washington, D.C. , according to Johnson & Johnson.

The Janssen Connected Care Challenge calls for technology solutions to improve the coordination of care for patients as they are being discharged from the hospital.   Janssen Healthcare Innovation will award a total of $250,000 to support further development of the top three ideas that improve healthcare outcomes.

The challenge finalists will benefit from funding and external expert collaboration while retaining independence and ownership of their business concepts. By working with outside experts, Janssen is able to tap a wider range of expertise, capabilities and resources to bring new advances and solutions in healthcare.

Janssen Healthcare Innovation identified care transitions as an area in critical need of improvement. The team designed the Janssen Connected Care Challenge as a crowdsourcing-inspired effort to rally entrepreneurs’ best ideas. 

The goal of the challenge is to improve the navigational process of transitioning patients out of the hospital with the use of technology.  Janssen Healthcare Innovation is collaborating with the National Transitions of Care Coalition, which is providing input to the evaluation criteria for submissions as well as identifying care transition experts to participate in the panel of judges.

The challenge was announced by Kimberly Park, Partner, Janssen Healthcare Innovation from the stage at the first ever Care Innovations Summit, a conference co-hosted by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, The West Wireless Health Institute, and Health Affairs in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator at Health & Human Services. 

Janssen was invited by the collaborators to participate in the event designed to facilitate dialogue and drive action toward “better care and better health at lower cost through continuous improvement.” A live webcast of the event is available starting at 8:15 a.m. Eastern.

Submissions for the Janssen Connected Care Challenge will be accepted from February 27, 2012 until March 25, 2012.  Three finalists will be awarded $50,000 each and have the opportunity to work with healthcare experts to refine their solution.  Each will present their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges at a Demo Day in May.  The final winner will be selected on May 23, 2012 and awarded $100,000 to help develop their concept in the market.

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