The American Heart Association has recognized three health technology innovators for developing digital solutions that integrate the organization's science-based care pathways to transform cardiovascular care. This recognition comes as research indicates growing patient acceptance of artificial intelligence-supported health interventions when they are backed by clinical expertise and rooted in evidence-based guidelines.
The inaugural CarePlan Challenge, hosted by the American Heart Association's Center for Health Technology & Innovation, invited developers, health technology innovators and AI specialists worldwide to create digital prototypes that integrate the Association's CarePlans alongside tools such as Life's Essential 8™ and the PREVENT™ Risk Calculator. These digital tools are designed to manage and improve post-acute and chronic health conditions including heart failure, hypertension and cardiac rehabilitation.
The selected solutions demonstrate significant potential for improving cardiovascular care delivery. ConneQT- Guided Wellness Programs use mobile solutions that link daily tasks, biometrics from the CONNEQT Pulse and personalized goals from the PREVENT calculator to build heart-healthy habits while giving clinicians more visibility into patients' overall health. Porter Health delivers web-based, cross-platform tools that provide one-click PREVENT and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic health risk assessments along with expert-vetted, large language model-assisted CarePlans tailored to patient demographics.
OneVillage offers a women-focused virtual cardio-primary care platform that transforms CarePlans and PREVENT-guided risk into an 80-day personalized pathway combining physician visits, cardiac rehabilitation and supportive services such as nutrition, physical therapy, stress management and doula support. This approach aims to expand access and improve outcomes across diverse communities.
These innovations matter because cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide, and digital solutions that integrate evidence-based guidelines could significantly improve prevention and management. The integration of established clinical tools like the PREVENT Risk Calculator, which estimates a patient's risk of developing heart disease, stroke or heart failure over the next 20 or 30 years, with digital platforms could make guideline-based care more accessible to broader populations.
The implications extend beyond individual patient care to potentially transform healthcare delivery systems. By making evidence-based cardiovascular care more personal and accessible through digital means, these solutions could help address healthcare disparities and improve outcomes at scale. The combination of clinical expertise with technological innovation represents a significant step toward more efficient, effective cardiovascular care delivery that meets patients where they are.
The challenge champions will present their prototypes at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans, showcasing how technology can advance cardiovascular care through integration of established clinical guidelines. Additional information about the CarePlan Challenge is available at https://ahahealthtech.org/aha-careplan-challenge-2025.
