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≈$1.6M DEFINITIVE CONTRACT W81XWH21C0081

SpectralMD: developing a device to assess burn severity with AI (Defense Health Agency, forward care) — a federal contract (USAspending)

Department of Defense ・2021-07-01 〜 2026-02-27

The U.S. Defense Health Agency (DHA), part of the Department of Defense, awarded SpectralMD, Inc. a contract to develop a device that assesses burn severity using AI (artificial intelligence). It is intended for the military's "Echelon III" stage of care behind the front lines.

Contract key facts

  • RecipientSPECTRAL MD, INC.
  • Contract value$1,632,483 (≈$1.6M)
  • Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
  • Awarding sub-agencyDefense Health Agency
  • Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
  • Period of performance2021-07-01 〜 2026-02-27
  • Contract ID (PIID)W81XWH21C0081

Contract scope (original)

AWARD OF SPECTRAL MD'S DHA STTR SEQUENTIAL PHASE II MEDICAL R&D CONTRACT FOR "DEVELOPMENT OF DEVICE TO ENABLE THE ASSESSMENT OF BURN SEVERITY BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE MILITARY'S ECHELON III CARE ENVIRONMENT"

Key points

  • The buyer is the Department of Defense's Defense Health Agency (DHA, which oversees medical care for the U.S. military); the awardee is SpectralMD, Inc.
  • The purpose is to develop a device that assesses burn severity using AI (technology that learns from patterns to help with judgments).
  • The intended setting is the military's "Echelon III" stage, the surgically capable rear-of-front-line level where evacuated casualties are treated.
  • The total contract value is $1,632,483.
  • Specific performance or development outcomes for the device are not stated in the original record.

Burns are known to be hard to judge accurately from their immediate appearance alone, because the true depth and severity may not be obvious right away. In combat medicine especially, treatment decisions must be made quickly with limited staff and time, and a specialist is often not present. This contract aims to support such decisions with a device built around AI (technology in which a computer learns from patterns in images and other data to help with judgments). The Defense Health Agency (DHA, the organization that oversees medical care for the U.S. military) stated the goal of enabling burn-severity assessment at the military's "Echelon III" level of care, the surgically capable stage where casualties are treated after being evacuated back from front-line first aid.

The contract matters because it seeks to put in place a way to support a highly specialized judgment, estimating burn severity, in a rear-of-front-line setting where medical resources are limited. Understanding severity early can make it easier to prioritize evacuation and plan treatment. Because the award amount, the awardee, and the stated purpose are published on USAspending (the U.S. federal government's spending database), taxpayers can see the substance of investment in military medicine. How accurately the device can actually classify burns, and what results it produced, are not stated in the original record, so this explanation stays within the stated purpose of the contract.

More broadly, this contract is one example, readable from public data, of government procurement of medical technology. Tracking which companies the federal government commissions, in which fields, and for how much can reveal what is being emphasized in areas such as defense and emergency medicine. Reading individual contracts in plain language gives even non-specialists a way to understand the flow of public spending and the policy interests behind it.

Why it matters

In defense and emergency medicine, there is evident interest in technology that supports severity assessment in the field. For companies working with medical devices or AI, the existence of procurement aimed at a concrete setting, the military's rear-of-front-line (Echelon III) care, can inform product development and proposals. Following public spending data helps in tracking procurement trends in these fields.

FAQ

What is "Echelon III"?
It is one of the levels into which military medical care is divided by capability. It refers to the stage where casualties who received first aid at the front are evacuated to the rear; it is a field-hospital-class level where surgery can be performed.
How accurately can this device assess burns?
The device's accuracy and specific performance are not stated in the original record, so no claim can be made. The contract states the goal of developing a device to assess burn severity using AI.
Where can I verify this information?
It is published on USAspending, the U.S. federal government's spending database, under contract number (PIID) W81XWH21C0081.

Related profiles

Sources (primary)

This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.

#federal contract#Defense Health Agency#Department of Defense#AI#burn care#combat medicine#SpectralMD

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