Last weekend, March 15­–16, the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital hosted a “hackathon” for software developers and designers to help enhance the hospital’s online patient portal, called myNYP. The portal allows patients to track their health records, coordinate doctors’ appointments, develop a directory of physician contacts, and more.

Participants in the crowdsource event, formally designated “InnovateNYP,” consisted of developers and designers from around the country. After collaborating in teams to develop working prototypes, participants presented their work to NewYork-Presbyterian and a panel of judges at the conclusion of the weekend event.

A total of $85,000 in prizes was awarded, with $50,000 going to the participant with the highest overall score. Second- and third-place awards were $25,000 and $10,000 respectively. Learn more about the event and view the winning entries at the InnovateNYP website.

UPDATE: 

On Monday after the event, NewYork-Presbyterian provided more details on the winning teams and applications, as follows:

First place ($50,000 prize): Team name: Health Warriors; Application name: “PresbyHangouts.” The winning platform accesses the hospital’s current portal to allow inpatients to connect with other patients with common interests, allowing them to play games together and communicate through instant messaging and video chat. It aims to build patient community and provide a vehicle to deliver educational material through video chat. Team members were Hannah Oppenheimer of Brooklyn; Michael Wenger of Hoboken, New Jersey; Andrea Cremese of Brooklyn; Eric Chen of Manhattan; and Dan Firepine, an emergency room physician from Berkeley, California.

Second place ($25,000 prize): Team name: Bogney; Application name: “Intermed.”
This two-man team aimed to address the isolation and anxiety many patients face while in the hospital by creating an app that allows patients to connect with other patients and “mentors” based on interests or condition, connect with friends and family through social networks and access tools that promote relaxation and meditation, such as calming music. Team members were Stanislav Bogdanov and John Kinney, both of Long Island, New York.

Third place ($10,000 prize): Team name: Some Team; Application name: “Presbyterian Plus.”
Shahnar and Fahm Sikder, two brothers from Queens, New York, aimed to improve the patient experience by developing a platform that streamlines the appointment check-in process and provides a patient support and reward system for healthy activities, such as scheduling and showing up for doctor appointments and keeping track of medication schedules.