Healthcare Hackathon 2026 — Reimagining Cardiac Rehabilitation

This hackathon is about building a patient-centered proof of concept that helps people like Maria complete cardiac rehabilitation despite distance, time, fear, and the gap between clinical evidence and real life.

Cardiac rehab is one of the most evidence-backed paths after a heart event—yet only about 1 in 4 eligible patients attends even a single session. Your job is to prototype a lifeline, not a generic fitness tracker or static education site.

1. The Story: Maria’s Gap

Maria is 58. Three weeks ago, she had a stent placed after a sudden heart attack. Today, she is back home. The physical pain is gone, replaced by a quiet, heavy anxiety.

The clinical path forward is clear: cardiac rehabilitation. If Maria completes this 12-week program of supervised exercise and support, her risk of death or rehospitalization drops by 43%. If 70% of patients like Maria participated, we would save 25,000 lives this year.

But the reality is different. Maria lives 40 minutes from the nearest clinic. She works part-time and can’t afford to miss the hours. She feels “fine” now, so she wonders if the effort is worth the commute. She’s afraid to push her body, but she doesn’t want to worry her daughter by asking for help.

Maria is one of two million Americans trapped in the Participation Paradox: the science is strong, but the human connection and logistics are broken. Currently, only 1 in 4 eligible patients ever attends a single session. For every day that passes after discharge, Maria’s chance of enrolling drops by 1%.

2. Meet Your Patient

Maria, 58, had a stent placed three weeks ago after a mild heart attack. She’s been cleared to start outpatient cardiac rehab, but hasn’t gone yet. The nearest facility is a 40-minute drive, and she can’t miss more time from her part-time job. She lives alone, feels anxious about pushing her body too hard, and isn’t sure the program is worth the effort now that her chest pain is gone. Her daughter checks in by phone most evenings, but Maria doesn’t want to worry her.

Maria is the person your solution is for. She’s not a dataset or a clinical profile. She’s someone trying to get back to normal life while quietly afraid it could happen again. Keep her in mind as you build.

3. What Cardiac Rehab Is

Cardiac rehab is a medically supervised recovery program prescribed after a heart attack, heart surgery, stent placement, or heart failure diagnosis. The standard course is 36 one-hour sessions over about 12 weeks, led by a team of cardiologists, nurses, exercise specialists, dietitians, and psychologists.

3.1 Three Phases

• Phase I (in hospital): Gentle mobilization, education, and discharge planning.
• Phase II (outpatient core): Supervised sessions about three times per week—monitored exercise, nutrition coaching, stress management, and risk factor education.
• Phase III (maintenance): Patients continue on their own. This is where most people drop off.

4. More Than Exercise

People often think of cardiac rehab as a gym program, but a typical session can include a supervised workout, a short class on nutrition labels, a conversation about stress at home, and a check-in on emotional well-being. Over time, teams help patients with blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking cessation, weight, and medication adherence.

Takeaway: Your prototype should reflect this breadth—education, mood, adherence, and lifestyle belong in the same conversation as exercise.

5. Why People Don’t Participate

Low participation is usually about barriers and context, not laziness. Design against friction such as:

• Distance to a facility and lack of transportation
• Work or caregiving conflicts and out-of-pocket costs
• Difficulty understanding medical instructions or language barriers
• Depression or anxiety after a cardiac event
• Weak referral or recommendation from a doctor
• The belief that rehab isn’t necessary once symptoms go away

6. The Challenge: Bridge the Gap

Your mission is to reimagine the cardiac rehabilitation journey. In the time allotted, your team must design and prototype a solution that turns a clinical mandate into a journey a patient chooses to complete.

How do you bring the expertise of a care team into the living rooms of the rural, the busy, and the afraid?

7. Your Objective

Build a working proof of concept that addresses the Participation Paradox. Move beyond simple tracking. Tackle the psychological and logistical walls that stop patients like Maria from starting and staying in recovery.

8. Metrics Worth Knowing

You don’t need to be a clinician to think about impact. Consider:

• Are patients showing up? The program has 36 sessions; timeliness after discharge matters.
• Are they getting stronger? Daily habits and prescribed routines support improvement over time.
• Are health numbers moving the right way? Blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and smoking status are core targets.
• How do they feel? Depression, anxiety, confidence, and quality of life often determine whether people keep going.

• System Design
  Architecture is coherent, integration points are well defined, and the solution is credible at scale.
• AI Quality
  Conversational interactions feel natural, adaptive, and clinically appropriate. Prompt strategy and model choices are thoughtful.
• Data Approach
  Clear plan for collection, structure, governance, and privacy. Data visibly powers personalization and improvement.
• Engagement Design
  Motivation mechanics are creative, evidence-grounded, and oriented toward lasting behavior change.
• Presentation
  Pitch is clear, concise, and compelling. The demo works.