Cardiology association in search of innovative startups partners with 1776 incubator

The 1776 incubator, which is interested in helping startups break down geographic barriers and collaborating with other incubators and accelerators has announced a partnership with a major physician association the American College of Cardiology, according to a company statement. The cardiology association will play a role not only in the incubators Challenge Cup, but also longer term.

The Washington, D.C.-based incubator works with early stage companies in regulated industries such as healthcare, energy and education.

The move follows the incubators partnership with MedStar health system. Although it does have other physician association partnerships, it has not announced them. It underscores the interest by incubators and accelerators in connecting healthcare entrepreneurs with clinicians who can offer the kinds of valuable insights to help them sharpen their strategy and deliver technological solutions that are worthwhile and conform to parameters of health systems.

The ACC will provide regional Challenge Cup winners an opportunity to pitch their companies at the associations 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego in an all-expense paid trip, according to the statement. ACC CEO Shal Jacobovitz said: Forward-thinking, innovative startups can play a pivotal role in developing new ideas and technologies to help stimulate advances in medicine and science.

Challenge Cup events are being held next year in 16 cities, such as Austin, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Amman, Santiago, Nairobi, Mumbai, Toronto, Berlin, and Dublin. Four regional winners in four categories will be selected in each city. The 64 regional winners will advance to the 1776 Challenge Festival in May 2015.

ACC members have a lot of interest in making the most of technology to solve some of the toughest healthcare challenges such as reducing readmissions for patients with heart failure and who have suffered heart attacks. Last month the ACC rolled out a patient navigator program to 35 participating hospitals. Hospitals face escalating penalties for readmissions of these patients, according to Science News Wire. The publication noted that at the start of October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services raised penalties for hospitals with excessive 30-day readmission rates for heart attack, heart failure and three other non-cardiac conditions to a maximum of 3 percent of related CMS reimbursements.

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Cardiology association in search of innovative startups partners with 1776 incubator