The HHS “COVID-19 TOPx” technology sprint aims to further develop digital health tools to capture, harmonize, and securely transmit data from COVID-19 diagnostic tests. The COVID-19 TOPx tech sprint is now in its 10th and final week, and will provide valuable insights about on-the-ground needs and challenges to ensure effective collection and reporting of COVID-19 diagnostic data.
As COVID-19 diagnostic testing becomes more widespread and accessible beyond laboratories at points-of-care, at schools and workplaces, at-home, and over-the-counter, it is essential that diagnostic data from testing devices is harmonized, automated, and shared with medical providers and reported to appropriate public health authorities. This is not happening reliably right now because diagnostic devices and tests have not previously been coupled with the applications or digital software tools needed to collect and transmit test results.
“Rapid point-of-care, over-the-counter, and at-home tests are increasingly accessible and utilized to make data-driven decisions on how to create a safe environment,” says Dr. Leith States, HHS Acting Director of the Office of Science and Medicine. “The COVID-19 TOPx Tech Sprint is one of the many innovative approaches we are exploring to accelerate the development of digital tools to accurately capture, harmonize, and report SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing data.” The NIH in collaboration with CDC recently announced the “Say Yes! COVID Test” community health initiative, an innovative approach to ensure that accurate COVID-19 tracking data is captured through regular screening with at-home COVID-19 tests to strengthen prevention efforts. As self-testing becomes increasingly accessible, it is vital that this diagnostic testing data is reliable and interoperable with other digital tools that have been developed.
HHS launched the “COVID-19 TOPx” tech sprint with the U.S. Census Bureau to leverage The Opportunity Project (TOP) sprint model. The TOP model combines human-centered design techniques with agile technology sprints to encourage industry to rapidly create digital tools and add value from open government data.
The COVID-19 TOPx tech sprint continues momentum from the COVID-19 At-Anywhere Diagnostics Design-a-thon to accelerate the development of digital health tools that capture, harmonize, and securely transmit key data elements from at-anywhere COVID-19 diagnostic tests to medical providers and public health authorities. This will help inform people about the rates of infection and risk in their communities as well as inform decisions around opening up schools, businesses, large gatherings, and other congregate settings.
This fast-paced, 10-week COVID-19 TOPx tech sprint is the first time HHS is piloting the recently published “TOPx Toolkit” in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. This interagency event series is a public-facing technology sprint with government, industry, academia, and non-profit organizations to openly collaborate and create value from federal data. Over 700 entrepreneurs, innovators, industry professionals, and problem solvers of all stripes have already joined the HHS COVID-19 Crowdsourcing platform to help develop digital solutions for data capture, harmonization, and reporting from COVID-19 tests.
The 12 tech teams presenting at the TOPx Final Demos on April 1st 1:00 – 5:00 PM EST will be:
- Oracle: COVID-19 Immutable Test Results Submission and Visualization
- Interpret-COVID: Consumer Dx Test App
- Net Medical Xpress Solutions, Inc: Net Medical's Telemed for COVID-19 Wireless Data
- IBM: Digital Health Pass for Citizen Reported COVID-19 Testing Data
- Safe Health Systems: Connected Diagnostics Platform
- NYU: Smart Diagnostics Ecosystem for COVID-19 Disease Management
- UDoTest: Simple Patient Testing Solution That's Live, Integrated and Comprehensive
- Lifepoint Informatics: COVID-19 State Reporting Hub
- VirusIQ: VirusIQ Screening Platform > Virtual Lab Module
- CURA Patient: CuraPatient Digital Platform
- Dovel Technologies: Patient Health Surveillance Ecosystem Portal (PHSEP)
- DLC-Delta: Co-Verify Solution
While this is the final week of this COVID-19 TOPx tech sprint, we will continue to strengthen these public-private connections to incentivize entrepreneurs, innovators, and problem solvers to use COVID-19 data and adopt federal data standards. The participating tech teams retain ownership of all intellectual property rights to the products developed during the COVID-19 TOPx tech sprint. The long-term sustainability and continued product development and deployment is fully in their control.
Visit Waters.Crowdicity.com for more information and to RSVP for this event.
