ONC unveils $75k data challenge for patient matching

Jessica Kim Cohen -

ONC will launch a Patient Matching Algorithm Challenge in June, according to a blog post by Steven Posnack, director of the ONC's office of standards and technology.

The challenge encourages developers to assess new and existing patient-matching algorithms. In health IT, patient matching refers to how an algorithm might match health information from the same patient when it is held by different healthcare providers.

"In practice, patient matching is the process of comparing different demographic elements from different health IT systems to determine if they refer to the same patient," Mr. Posnack wrote.

In the Patient Matching Algorithm Challenge, participants will use their own algorithm to identify patients from a dataset provided by the ONC. Their answers will be evaluated and scored against a master key.

ONC will award up to six cash prizes totaling $75,000, with first place guaranteeing a $25,000 award.

Click here to view challenge details.

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