On July 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Society of Nephrology, and the National Kidney Foundation announced the new Patient Innovator Challenge.

The new prize competition seeks to identify ideas and solutions patients and care partners have developed to improve their daily life with kidney disease. The KidneyX Patient Innovator Challenge, funded by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) invited individuals, communities, businesses, institutions, and not-for-profit organizations, among others, to submit ideas on how to improve therapeutic options and quality for life for people living with kidney disease.

Key areas of focus include, but are not limited to, managing side effects of dialysis or transplant treatment, ways to gain patient independence, successful diet and fluid regimens, techniques to increase physical activity, and methods that help sustain family and social life or improve overall quality of life.

 “Through this prize competition, we are asking patients and their caregivers, who are directly impacted by kidney diseases, to share innovative approaches to address issues that are most challenging for patients and their families,” said John R. Sedor, MD, FASN, Chair of the KidneyX Steering Committee. “We are looking for approaches or tools that will help people living with kidney diseases have a better quality of life. These projects may improve patient health, relieve troublesome symptoms, ease the burden of kidney replacement therapies, or even reduce the cost of care.”

“As we look to drive and foster innovation in care for kidney diseases, it makes sense to involve the very people who face its unique challenges each and every day,” said Mark E. Rosenberg, MD, FASN, President of ASN. “We value patients’ firsthand insights and creative solutions to improve their quality of life, and the Patient Innovator Challenge seeks to reward them for sharing their ideas and potentially helping others in the kidney disease community who are confronted with similar struggles.”

Submissions will be accepted August 1, 2019, through September 16, 2019, and patients and care partners are highly encouraged to apply to share their best ideas and innovations. Prizes will be awarded to winners in two categories: Category 1: “Solutions in Practice,” which are solutions already tried or put into practice; and Category 2: “New Ideas,” which are solutions that have not yet been created or tried.

Judges will review the submissions and up to 10 winners will be awarded $4,000 each in Category 1, and up to 15 winners will be awarded $2,000 each in Category 2. Category 1 winners will also be invited with all expenses paid to participate in the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meetings to be held in March 2020. Category 1 winners will present their ideas and innovations to an audience of kidney health professionals, patients, care partners and industry representatives. All winning Category 1 and Category 2 submissions will be featured on www.kidneyx.org . For detailed rules and to apply visit the patient innovator challenge webpage.

For more information about the event today and the innovator, please visit the HHS website .