OREANDA-NEWS. July 31, 2015. Ochsner Health System, GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE), and The Idea Village have launched today the “Wear Your Health” challenge. This challenge seeks to identify wearable technology concepts and mobile application solutions that can transform healthcare outcomes by addressing behavior management in patients with chronic disease. Starting today, individuals interested in participating can submit their idea(s) at here until September 15th at 5pm Central.*

Chronic diseases account for 7 out of every 10 deaths in the U.S. Totaling more than 80 percent of total healthcare costs, the existing U.S. care delivery model is poorly constructed to help manage this issue.[i] The “Wear Your Health” challenge is part of the multi-year initiative Ochsner, GE Healthcare, and The Idea Village launched in March 2015 to address the healthcare and lifestyle issues affecting a large part of the U.S. population.

The “Wear Your Health” challenge seeks to engage entrepreneurs and innovators across the U.S. –with a special focus on the local New Orleans entrepreneurial community – to think about the best ways to address the evolving needs of healthcare, encourage lifestyle modifications, and help impact individual health

“Chronic disease is a particularly serious health and community concern in Louisiana, which is ranked fifth in the nation for the highest rates of diabetes and heart disease, and fourth in the nation for the highest rates of cancer and high blood pressure,” said Richard Milani, M.D. Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Ochsner Health System. “This challenge aligns with our work underway today through innovationOchsner or iO to identify the behaviors that drive improved wellness and empower patients to take control of their health.  The ideas generated through this challenge can provide new solutions to address these issues in our community but also extend these findings to patients across the U.S.”

Phase 1 of the challenge, which kicks off today, will identify up to 10 winners for a cumulative prize pool of \\$10,000 USD. The winners of Phase 1 will then be eligible to participate in Phase 2, where 3 finalists will receive additional development funding from a discretionary prize pool of \\$15,000 USD. The overall winner will be announced at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, March 11-18, 2016. 

“In recent years, wearables have been disrupting the healthcare industry. The ability to manage patient behavior through wearables ultimately allows for a more personalized patient experience and treatment plan,” said Brad Jergenson, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. & Canada at GE Healthcare. “The ‘Wear Your Health’ challenge is a great opportunity to bring not only prototypes, but ideas, to life. The goal is to drive the future of chronic disease management by empowering patients to lead healthy lifestyles through connectivity and technology, which aligns with GE Healthcare’s overall mission to provide quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare to all.”

“We are excited to partner with Ochsner and GE Healthcare on the ‘Wear Your Health’ challenge,” said Tim Williamson, Co-founder and CEO of The Idea Village. “New Orleans Entrepreneur Week is a powerful platform to showcase New Orleans – and the surrounding region – as a leading entrepreneurial hub for innovations in healthcare.”

More information on the challenge and requirements for submission can be found on innovationochsner.com. 

About Ochsner

Ochsner Health System is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 25 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and more than 50 health centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across six specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 90 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs nearly 17,000 employees, nearly 1,000 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts over 750 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health System is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for increased access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world. GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter - great people and technologies taking on tough challenges. From medical imaging, software & IT, patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and performance improvement solutions, GE Healthcare helps medical professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients.  For more information visit our website www.gehealthcare.com.

About The Idea Village

The Idea Village is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization based in New Orleans that provides direct service to high-impact entrepreneurs, convenes the ecosystem through New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (www.NOEW.org), and supports initiatives that strengthen the local entrepreneurial infrastructure. The Idea Village received a Gold Excellence award from the International Economic Development Council for our Entrepreneur Season model in 2012, and we were recognized as a top-three entrepreneurship ecosystem developer in 2014 by the Global Innovation Summit. For more information, visit www.ideavillage.org.  

*Subject to Official Rules http://bit.ly/1Ir3rCH.  Must submit at least one Entry at 5 pm CST on September 15, 2015 to be eligible.  Must be 18 years of age or older to participate.  Free NineSigma account and internet access required.  No purchase necessary.  Void where prohibited.  Up to 10 cash prizes available (USD \\$1,000 each) plus up to 3 grant awards (from USD \\$15,000 Total Grant Pool).  Grants subject to agreed-upon business relationship and other conditions.  Winning depends on Entrant’s skills in meeting judging criteria.  Sponsors reserve right not to award all prizes depending on quality of Entries received.