At a recent Boston University-hosted event, leading healthcare professionals pitched innovative ideas on how to solve the nation’s most pressing problems on a tight budget. Eight teams had two minutes to describe their innovation projects and their importance, as well as the project’s funding cost, choosing from just $12,500, $7,500, or $2,500.

As on the singing competition American Idol, participants at the Boston University event texted in their votes of support. The teams who won received the following prizes:
• $12,500 prize to build an online network for healthcare professionals to exchange solutions to complex medical problems
• $7,500 to introduce e-cigarettes to wean the homeless off tobacco
• $2,500 to re-create a program that addresses patients’ basic resource needs as a quality care standard

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