As digital health technologies continue to reshape the landscape of medical care, new research highlights a growing acceptance among patients for artificial intelligence (AI)-supported health interventions—provided these tools are underpinned by robust clinical expertise and anchored in evidence-based guidelines. Seizing this emergent opportunity, the American Heart Association (AHA) recently inaugurated its CarePlan Challenge, a pioneering competition designed to catalyze innovation and broaden access to cardiovascular care rooted explicitly in clinical science and technology integration.
The AHA’s Center for Health Technology & Innovation spearheaded this initiative, inviting developers, health technology pioneers, and AI specialists worldwide to engineer revolutionary digital prototypes. The core mission was to incorporate the AHA’s science-based CarePlans—personalized care pathways tailored for managing post-acute and chronic cardiovascular conditions including heart failure, hypertension, and cardiac rehabilitation. Contestants were encouraged to integrate these CarePlans with complementary digital instruments like Life’s Essential 8™, a scientifically curated framework involving eight lifestyle habits proven to enhance cardiac health, alongside the PREVENT™ Risk Calculator, an advanced tool clinicians deploy to quantitatively assess a patient’s 20- to 30-year risk profile for cardiovascular events such as heart disease and stroke.
Participants were provided with API access to these resources, fostering the creation of prototypes that exemplified seamless integration of AHA’s clinical protocols with cutting-edge technological platforms. This approach underscores an important technical strategy: the use of open APIs enables rapid, secure, and standardized data interoperability between cardiovascular science and digital health applications. This kind of data fluidity is critical for delivering personalized medicine and dynamic patient engagement in real-time.
Evaluation criteria for submitted prototypes were multi-dimensional, reflecting technological, clinical, and user-centered parameters. Entries were rigorously judged on innovation and creativity, emphasizing novel methodologies and the inventive utilization of AHA content. Technical execution looked at the robustness of coding, API application proficiency, and system performance metrics. Usability and design were assessed for their intuitiveness, accessibility compliance, and capacity to maintain patient engagement over time. Clinical impact focused on the demonstrable potential to improve patient outcomes and adherence to AHA’s evidenced guidelines—highlighting the intersection where digital innovation converges with healthcare efficacy.
Among the standout winners, ConneQT delivered an exemplary mobile solution that incorporates guided wellness programs. By synthesizing data from the CONNEQT Pulse biometric device with personalized goals extracted from the PREVENT risk calculator, their platform dynamically links daily behavioral tasks and physiological monitoring to support the development of sustainable heart-healthy habits. The system’s design enhances clinicians’ visibility into patient health metrics enabling a data-driven approach to preventive care and risk mitigation.
Porter Health distinguished itself with a versatile web-based platform optimized for cross-device compatibility. Utilizing patient-specific demographics, this tool executes comprehensive cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic risk assessments with a single click. Its integration of a large language model enhances the CarePlan’s personalization by applying AI to correlate clinical data with patient context, while maintaining alignment with expert-vetted AHA guidelines. This hybrid approach of AI-augmented clinical pathways offers an innovative model for scalable, precision cardiovascular care delivery.
OneVillage targeted a critical demographic gap through a woman-centered virtual cardio-primary care solution. Their platform generates an 80-day individualized health trajectory by weaving together physician consultations, cardiac rehabilitation, and supportive ancillary services such as nutritional coaching, physical therapy, and mental wellness interventions including stress management and doula support. This integrated pathway facilitates daily patient education and comprehensive health tracking, aiming to dismantle barriers to care and improve cardiovascular outcomes within underserved and diverse populations.
The judging panel comprised distinguished experts from academia, clinical research, and digital health sectors whose evaluative insights reflect a deep understanding of technology’s role in healthcare transformation. Noteworthy judges included Azizi Seixas, an associate professor specializing in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Seth Martin, a leading cardiologist and co-founder of Corrie Health. Their expertise ensured that assessment not only considered algorithmic sophistication and user experience but also maintained stringent clinical relevance and ethical standards.
As these innovators prepare to present their prototypes at the upcoming American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans, their work is poised to influence the trajectory of cardiovascular care. This annual congress, renowned for showcasing breakthroughs in cardiovascular science, will host the CarePlan Challenge finalists in the Health Innovation Pavilion, where they will engage live experts and audiences. This platform serves as a critical nexus for accelerating the adoption of digitally enabled cardiovascular interventions in clinical practice.
Underpinning this entire challenge is a paradigm shift where evidence-based cardiovascular science meets technological advancement. The seamless fusion of clinical guidelines, AI, and patient-centric digital tools signifies a strategic evolution toward precision medicine. Technologies such as API-driven CarePlans and AI-assisted risk calculators translate complex cardiovascular risk stratification into actionable insights that patients and providers can interact with dynamically, driving measurable health outcomes.
The American Heart Association itself functions as a relentless force for health equity and improved cardiac outcomes globally, fueled by scientific rigor and community engagement. Their initiatives exemplify how health systems are embracing digital transformation not simply for technological novelty, but as a means to implement scalable, evidence-driven solutions that address the nuances of cardiovascular disease prevention and management in diverse populations.
Considering the rising burden of cardiovascular disease worldwide, such efforts are both timely and critical. By leveraging AI and digital platforms grounded in rigorous clinical validation, tools emerging from the CarePlan Challenge could redefine standard care models—ushering in an era where personalized care pathways become ubiquitously accessible, highly interactive, and clinically effective beyond traditional settings.
In conclusion, the AHA’s CarePlan Challenge represents a significant leap forward in cardiovascular digital health. It encapsulates the commitment to harnessing cutting-edge software development, AI methodologies, and patient-centered design principles to create innovative platforms that not only engage users but also have the potential to drastically improve cardiac health outcomes on a global scale. The challenge exemplifies how strategic partnerships between clinical science and technology innovation can drive the future of healthcare, ultimately saving lives and transforming the standard of care for cardiovascular diseases.
Subject of Research: Digital health innovations integrating artificial intelligence and evidence-based cardiovascular CarePlans to improve preventive care and chronic disease management.
Article Title: Revolutionizing Cardiovascular Care: How AI-Driven Digital Solutions Are Shaping the Future of Heart Health
News Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Web References:
- https://ahahealthtech.org/aha-careplan-challenge-2025/
- https://professional.heart.org/en/meetings/scientific-sessions
References:
- Madanian S, Nakarada-Kordic I, Reay S, Chetty T. Patients’ perspectives on digital health tools. PEC Innov. 2023 May 26;2:100171. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100171. PMID: 37384154; PMCID: PMC10294099.
- Esmaeilzadeh P, Mirzaei T, Dharanikota S. Patients’ Perceptions Toward Human-Artificial Intelligence Interaction in Health Care: Experimental Study. J Med Internet Res. 2021 Nov 25;23(11):e25856. doi: 10.2196/25856. PMID: 34842535; PMCID: PMC8663518.
Keywords: Cardiovascular disorders, cardiovascular disease, digital health technology, artificial intelligence, preventive cardiology, personalized CarePlans, Life’s Essential 8™, PREVENT Risk Calculator.
