The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has announced a $200,000 challenge for developers to create game applications that help generate “useful” healthcare quality data, the organization announced this week. This is the foundation’s second major competition in its Aligning Forces initiative for Quality (AF4Q), an initiative to improve the quality of healthcare in various targeted communities across the country, while providing models of reform.

The first challenge was focused on creating applications to improve patient access to healthcare quality information. This second challenge will build on that initiative and other data from Aligning Forces to create game applications which engage patients and health providers in generating quality data.

Michael W. Painter, J.D., M.D., senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said in a statement: “Improving community health care is difficult work in the real world. It takes a range of skills, knowledge, and intense collaboration. A game approach could help players learn about collaborating to improve health care. Good games can prompt us to engage in good causes, learn new behaviors and skills, and make a range of decisions to win. We’re hoping to get some great games from this challenge, games that will also generate important information about improving health care in real communities.”  

Winners will be announced in September 2013 and the first place winner will present at the annual Fall Health 2.0 Conference later that month. The first place winner will receive $100,000, second place will receive $50,000, and third place will be awarded $25,000.