An Initial Prize Design for a proposed $10+ Million Healthcare X PRIZE was announced on April 14, 2009 by the X PRIZE Foundation, WellPoint, Inc. and the WellPoint Foundation. This competition will focus on reinventing the health care system in “a bold, measurable and scientific fashion to catalyze dramatic improvements in health and health care value in the United States.” As it is developing the new prize, the X PRIZE Foundation has convened a group of eighteen advisors which includes Prof. Michael Porter. Since 2001, Prof. Porter has devoted considerable attention to the field of health care has been noted for applying “value chain” concepts to health care delivery.

The proposed prize is designed to improve health value by more than 50 percent in a 10,000 person community during a three year trial. In order to effectively compete for this prize, teams will need to fundamentally change health financing, care delivery, and create new incentives that will result in achieving the required improvements in health value for both individuals and communities.