MeHI is seeking digital health startups with solutions for unpaid family caregivers to compete in the Massachusetts Digital Health COVID-19 Recovery Challenge. The Challenge is focused on finding solutions for unpaid caregivers who provide support to loved ones outside of traditional child rearing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened our awareness of the critical role family caregivers play in our society and the ways they impact our healthcare system and the overall economy. Through the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and their SPRINT Challenge Grant, MeHI launched this Challenge to uncover digital health solutions that can support these caregivers by helping them return to work or to face challenges that were exacerbated by the pandemic.

Up to 8 applicants will be selected to participate in a three-month accelerator program run by Lever, Inc. Finalists will also be matched with cutting edge research and development organizations in the Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Network. The Sandboxes will work with participants to scope projects to test and validate their solution to bring it to market faster. The Challenge will culminate in a pitch event where participants will pitch their product and proposed Sandbox project. Winners will receive up to $100,000 in Sandbox tuition to complete their project.

The next application deadline for the Mass Digital Health Sandbox Grant Program is Wednesday, July 7^th. Digital health startups can apply for grants up to $50,000 to offset the fees to test and validate their solutions at one of the nine Massachusetts Digital Health Sandboxes.

The first step in applying for a grant is to contact a Sandbox to determine if they can support your company. Interested applicants are also encouraged to contact Program Manager Katie Green at green@masstech.org to learn more about the program and opportunities at the Sandboxes.   

Caring for the Caregiver: June Session

On June 10^th MeHI and the MassCyberCenter hosted the first in a series of monthly healthcare cybersecurity calls. Ron Ford, Cybersecurity Advisor for CISA New England, provided an update on current threats and led a discussion of cybersecurity threat sharing in healthcare.

Registration is now open for the next call in the series, to be held on Thursday, July 8^th, at 10:00 am. These calls will occur on the second Thursday of every month and will include updates from leaders from CISA and the Commonwealth Fusion Center on emerging threats. The July 8^th call will also cover Cyber Incident Response Planning. If you have any questions on the series, please contact Paul Bosco: bosco@masstech.org.  

Program Year 2021 (PY2021) is the final year of the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. The PY2021 deadline is August 3, 2021. To attest to PY2021, eligible professionals must select a 90-day MU Reporting Period that falls between January 1, 2021 and August 3, 2021. You can launch your PY2021 application even if your PY2020 application is not yet approved.

Per the HITECH Act, all Medicaid EHR Incentives must be paid by December 31, 2021. All MU applications must be validated and approved by mid-October 2021 to allow time for the incentive payments to process.

In this session, we will discuss the attestation timeline for PY2021 and exactly what is needed to meet MU requirements and successfully attest for PY2021.