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At Ann Arbor hackathon, groups have 24 hours to find new solutions to old health care problems

doctor looking at chart
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Health care problems are addressed by a wide variety of community members at A2 Health Hacks.

The Next Idea

Usually, when we hear the word “hacking,” we think of someone breaking into something — like your computer or customer data at a credit card company. But there’s a constructive, positive spin on the word hack too.

A2 Health Hacks is a weekend-long exercise where people come together to find new solutions to old problems in health care.  

Diane Bouis, co-founder of Ann Arbor Health Hacks and the Director of Innovation Programs at The Inovo Group, told Stateside how small teams create a prototype in just 24 hours to pitch to judges.

Teams compete for prizes, like an automatic entry into Ann Arbor SPARK Boot Camp, that could help launch their new company.  

“It is at the intersection of people with different expertise and different knowledge that you can find great things” Bouis said.

The Next Idea is Michigan Radio’s project devoted to new innovations and ideas that will change our state.

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