Inspiration In medical emergencies, time is critical. The closest hospital isn’t always the fastest or best option due to traffic, wait times, or capacity. We were inspired to build a tool that helps people make smarter, time-aware decisions when it matters most.

What it does Care Compass helps users find the best medical facility for their situation. By analyzing real-time traffic, distance, ETAs, medical severity, and provider-reported wait times, Care Compass ranks nearby hospitals and clinics to guide users to the fastest path to care, not just the nearest one.

How we built it We built CareCompass with a modular backend that integrates:

• Google Maps APIs for nearby place discovery, routing, and live traffic-based ETA
• A FastAPI backend to handle facility ranking and scoring
• A provider-side concept that allows hospitals to share live wait times
• A frontend experience powered by Athena AI designed for speed and clarity
• TTS & STT powered by ElevenLabs API for accessibility
• Our scoring system weighs ETA, distance, and wait times to produce a ranked list of options in real time.

Challenges we ran into

• Pipelining and synchronizing data from multiple APIs (places, routing, traffic, and wait times) in real time
• Navigating API implementation and permissions under tight time constraints
• Structuring a clean, scalable project file architecture under hackathon time constraints
• Configuring AI-based severity ranking and implementing scoring algorithm for recommendations
• Accomplishments that we're proud of
• Building a working end-to-end system under hackathon time limits
• Successfully integrating real-time traffic data into medical decision-making
• Designing a scalable architecture that supports both users and providers
• Creating a clear, intuitive experience for high-stress situations
• What we learned
• We learned how critical real-time data is in healthcare decision-making, how to work efficiently with external APIs, and how to design systems that work reliably in emergency situations. ** What's next for Care Compass**
• Expand provider participation for real-time wait time reporting
• Support load balancing across facilities to reduce ER congestion
• Incorporate accessibility, insurance, and specialty filters
• Add symptom-based guidance to improve care before arrival

Devpost link: https://devpost.com/software/care-compass-zmpdn5