New Award Announced for the Boston Scientific Connected Patient Challenge

With less than a month left to submit digital health solution innovations to Boston Scientific’s fifth annual Connected Patient Challenge, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has announced it will sponsor an additional award.

The MLSC Spotlight Award will be given to a Massachusetts-based organization that is one of the six finalists as determined by the online voting portion of the program. The economic development and investment agency will review all contestants that meet the criteria for the award.

The entrant selected by Massachusetts Life Sciences Center can win up to $25,000.

“As the convergence revolution continues to catalyze a new generation of therapies, medical devices and enabling technologies, we are grateful to be part of this collaborative initiative for bringing people together from across the ecosystem during this major evolution in healthcare innovation,” said MLSC President and CEO Travis McCready.

Since the challenge launched in September, the challenge has outpaced prior years with the number of submissions. Innovators around the world have submitted their ideas focused on improving disease states that affect large populations for a chance of up to $50,000 in in-kind services from Boston Scientific and Google. These digital solutions aim to improve patient outcomes, cost savings, reduction in care needed by a patient, better patient experience and more.

Ravi Vangara, director at EinsCare, is still leading the way in votes with his health management solution for patients with chronic endocrine disease. Vangara’s solution offers qualitative and quantitative vital information to endocrinologists to determine a patient’s best treatment options.

Porus Rawal, MBA, submitted Wellthy Therapeutics’ prescription digital therapeutic for self-management of chronic conditions with proven endpoints. In his submission, Rawal said the digital health platform can help augment better health outcomes through real-time care. The digital therapeutic also gives healthcare providers access to the full picture of an individual patient’s journey and could improve medication adherence. Wellthy Therapeutics focuses on diabetes, cardiology and chronic kidney disease.

Another entry submitted to the challenge is from Mark Lazarovich, M.D., an internal medicine specialist in Vermont. His deep-learning device aims to solve situational insomnia due to post-surgical pain. A user opens the single use, scent-delivery device and places it on their pillow. The exposure to the scent induces sleep.

Innovators still have time to submit their ideas before the Jan. 3 deadline. Participants can find answers to questions, entry guidelines and additional information here.

Submissions should focus on chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, digestive, cancer, neurological/chronic pain, respiratory, and/or urology and pelvic health, with an aim of improving patient outcomes, cost savings, reduction in care needed by patient, better patient experience, and more. Solutions should also be practical ideas that can realistically be implemented in today’s clinical environment at a reasonable cost.