A new health incubator, Healthbox, is  set to launch on January 9th with its first batch of 10 health startups, which it chose from some "hundreds" of applications that came in from 26 states and eight countries. A group of healthcare providers, payors, venture firms and others supported the formation of Healthbox, including venture capital firm Sandbox Industries, the BlueCross Blue Shield Venture Fund, the California Healthcare Foundation, Walgreens, Ridgeview Medical Center, Merrick Ventures, and HLM Venture Partners.

The incubator's three-month program offers $50,000 in seed capital, access to business and healthcare mentors, the requisite collaborative workspace, and "structured forums led by business experts," according to the organizations recent announcement.

Like most incubators, the three months end with an Investor Day where the startups each pitch their wares to a select group of venture capitalists.

Chicago-based Healthbox is just the latest health startup incubator to launch this year: San Francisco-based Rock Health and New York-based BluePrint Health are two other existing incubators. We expect there will be more in the year ahead.

Here's how the 10 Healthbox startups describe themselves:

PUSH Wellness (Chicago, IL) is an outcomes-based wellness incentive provider that drives behavior change in health factors that are meaningful, measurable and modifiable, producing tangible benefits for participants and employers.

PaJR-Patient Journey Record (Dublin, Ireland) uses a cloud-based system with machine learning capabilities to identify patients at high risk of readmission using patient and caregiver self-reported health status.

SwipeSense (Evanston, IL) is hand-washing 2.0, arming healthcare providers with a portable hand-sanitation device in combination with real-time data analytics in order to increase compliance and reduce hospital-acquired infections.

CareWire (Minneapolis, MN) is a patient engagement solution that utilizes automated patient text messaging to increase billable appointment yield, visualize patient satisfaction in near-real-time and improve provider performance.

The Coupon Doc (Atlanta, GA) provides an easy-to-use, centralized platform that allows consumers to access manufacturer discounts on their prescription and OTC medications.

Corengi (Seattle, WA) connects qualified patients with ongoing clinical research studies through a comprehensive online platform. Patients are able to quickly distill relevant studies, trial sponsors are able to reduce costly delays and medical innovation is accelerated.

Iconic Data (Norcross, GA) delivers a cloud-based patient list manager solution that provides physicians access to near-real-time snapshots of clinical care episodes across disparate, non-integrated facilities, resulting in increased charge capture and reduced inefficiencies.

UnitedPreference (Princeton, NJ) offers employers a Tailored Spend™ payments network that allows health plans to improve participation in preventative health initiatives via branded prepaid cards that can be used to purchase items determined by the health plans.

DermLink (Atherton, CA) is a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant application that enables remote diagnosis of dermatology cases, dramatically reducing wait times for patients while driving increased revenue and flexibility for providers.

CareHubs (Beaverton, OR) is a healthcare enterprise social platform that offers dynamic, innovative tools to help patients and healthcare providers better connect, coordinate and engage.

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Read on for more from the press release:

CHICAGO -- Healthbox, an innovative new program aimed at accelerating the growth of healthcare startups, announced today its inaugural class of 10 entrepreneurial teams. The 3-month program, which launches January 9th, will provide each of the 10 companies with critical resources that promote rapid development, including access to an extensive mentor network, structured forums led by business experts, a collaborative workspace, and $50,000 in seed capital. The program culminates in an organized Investor Day where participants will present their businesses to a targeted group of investors.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with 10 passionate teams that represent some of the best entrepreneurial talent in healthcare. Their business ideas are spurring new ways of thinking and collaborating in the industry. Healthbox is committed to advancing their development and helping to bring sustainable innovation into the marketplace,” says founder Nina Nashif.

Healthbox received hundreds of applications from 26 states and 8 countries, representing diverse business ideas and founding teams. The 10 selected companies that comprise the inaugural class are:

PUSH Wellness (Chicago, IL) is an outcomes-based wellness incentive provider that drives behavior change in health factors that are meaningful, measurable and modifiable, producing tangible benefits for participants and employers.

PaJR-Patient Journey Record (Dublin, Ireland) uses a cloud-based system with machine learning capabilities to identify patients at high risk of readmission using patient and caregiver self-reported health status.

SwipeSense (Evanston, IL) is hand-washing 2.0, arming healthcare providers with a portable hand-sanitation device in combination with real-time data analytics in order to increase compliance and reduce hospital-acquired infections.

CareWire (Minneapolis, MN) is a patient engagement solution that utilizes automated patient text messaging to increase billable appointment yield, visualize patient satisfaction in near-real-time and improve provider performance.

The Coupon Doc (Atlanta, GA) provides an easy-to-use, centralized platform that allows consumers to access manufacturer discounts on their prescription and OTC medications.

Corengi (Seattle, WA) connects qualified patients with ongoing clinical research studies through a comprehensive online platform. Patients are able to quickly distill relevant studies, trial sponsors are able to reduce costly delays and medical innovation is accelerated.

Iconic Data (Norcross, GA) delivers a cloud-based patient list manager solution that provides physicians access to near-real-time snapshots of clinical care episodes across disparate, non-integrated facilities, resulting in increased charge capture and reduced inefficiencies.

UnitedPreference (Princeton, NJ) offers employers a Tailored Spend™ payments network that allows health plans to improve participation in preventative health initiatives via branded prepaid cards that can be used to purchase items determined by the health plans.

DermLink (Atherton, CA) is a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant application that enables remote diagnosis of dermatology cases, dramatically reducing wait times for patients while driving increased revenue and flexibility for providers.

CareHubs (Beaverton, OR) is a healthcare enterprise social platform that offers dynamic, innovative tools to help patients and healthcare providers better connect, coordinate and engage.

For additional information about Healthbox, visit www.healthboxaccelerator.com

About Healthbox

Healthbox has assembled a world-class mentor network that will provide healthcare startups with invaluable advice and connections. With our innovative platform, startups will have the resources and support to generate ideas, test assumptions and focus business initiatives in a dynamic workspace alongside other promising startups – with seed capital to boot. Healthbox is supported by a number of significant players in the healthcare industry, including providers, payers, and other strategically relevant organizations, including Sandbox Industries, BlueCross Blue Shield Venture Fund, California Healthcare Foundation, Walgreens, Ridgeview Medical Center, Merrick Ventures and HLM Venture Partners.