Three winning ideas were chosen from 150 entries to the IBX Game Changers Challenge. The goal of the challenge is develop innovative methods to improve health and wellness for a community. As described in our previous report, the challenge is hosted by Independence Blue Cross and focused on attracting leading health tech startups to the Philadelphia area.
Winners will each receive a $50,000 grant toward implementation of their proposed product or program as well as up to three months of office space, business support, and advisory services at Venturef0rth, a health care-focused incubator in Philadelphia.
Each winner will also receive business mentoring from Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs and a consulting session with ?What If! Innovation Partners to help build out their idea and maximize its impact.
Samir Malik’s telemedicine service, 1 Doc Way, is an online doctor’s office that improves access to psychiatric services by connecting hospitals with underserved patient populations. Patients can schedule appointments online and talk to their doctors in a secure video chat platform. In the past five months, 1 Doc Way has conducted more than 550 doctor-patient sessions.
Doug Barg’s idea, Kitchen Cred, is a new after-school program that teaches middle school and high school students how to cook healthy, delicious food. Kids will learn what healthy food is, how to safely prepare it, and where to source it cost-effectively. The program culminates with a culinary competition. The goal of Kitchen Cred is to improve the poor nutrition crisis facing our kids, our city, and our society.
Lon Hecht’s initiative, QuickSeeMD, is a web and smart phone application that allows patients to locate alternate and appropriate care facilities when a visit to the emergency room may not be necessary. Combining a patient’s personal data with their health plan data, QuickSeeMD will tailor the services to the needs of each individual. This tool seeks to reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms.
