The Cleveland Medical Hackathon

Centric’s subject matter experts sought to enhance doctor-to-patient communication through the use of mobile technologies, data collection, and web-based collaboration.

On Sept. 26-27, Centric sent a team of hackers to participate in the inaugural Cleveland Medical Hackathon at the Global Center for Health Innovation.

The Recap

The hackathon focused on challenges the healthcare industry faces in regards to data, with the goal to help make this data useful to healthcare systems and the patients they serve.

Centric looked to answer that challenge through the use of mobile technologies – ways new mobile technologies, data collection methods and web-based collaboration can work together to streamline and enhance doctor-to-patient communication to improve care, reduce costs and enhance overall patient experience.

So What Was the Hackathon Like? Who Participated?

What is a hackathon? Technically, it’s an event where developers get together for a specific period of time – in this instance, 24 hours – and build a (typically) working model of an application.

Some of the Centric team had participated in hackathons before, and knew what to expect. But for others, this was their first experience.

And not everyone who participated was a developer. The nature of the project meant that others were as integral to the process, as well: Healthcare experts, consultants, business leaders. Not only did they bring their individual expertise, but their unique perspectives on what makes a successful app.

So what did this disparate group think of the event? What were the lessons learned? What did they observe?

Working on the Project

Chris Martinez, a Sr. Consultant with Centric Miami, writes about work the hackers did before, during and after the hackathon: “…everyone on our team agreed that we were better for the experience, met a lot of people with great ideas, and walked away with the start of a good idea that we will definitely build upon in the near future.” Read more

The Hackers

Rahul Pavanan describes how moved he was by the synergy in the room: “But after this Hackathon…not only am I more enlightened about hacking, but also convinced that it is a vehicle for championing greater good in the community…” Read more

For Colin Skopinski, an Architect with Centric Cleveland, the lessons learned went beyond technology: “…failure is an acceptable outcome. You may find that your solution or idea isn’t technically or economically feasible, but the value is in the exploration.” Read more

The Wrap-up

If there was a larger lesson to be learned, it was, as Centric Cleveland Practice Lead Joe Smucny says, that the spirit of collaboration – even among “competitors” – is alive and well: “…when the judges came back with the winners, there truly was a feeling that we were all winners…but ultimately, the entire healthcare community was the winner. The key now is to perpetuate this momentum, and leverage these fantastic budding solutions, and relationships, to help save lives.” Read more