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Technical Assistance Call for:Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP)

Dr. Charles P. Friedman and Wil YuOffice of the National Coordinator for Health (ONC)

December 22nd, 2009 2:30 PM EDT

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Questions and Answers during this call

• Please submit questions during the call by:– Submitting them electronically using the

questions tab at the top of the screen• After the call, questions can be emailed to

Wil Yu, Project Officer and Innovations & Research Director at: Wil.Yu@hhs.gov

• Slides and additional answered questions will be will be posted shortly on the ONC Website http://healthit.hhs.gov/SHARP

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ARRA HITECH Act

• HITECH Priority Grant Programs Nationwide Meaningful Use

• Medicare and Medicaid Meaningful Use Incentive Payments– Health IT Regional Extension Center Program– Grants to States and State designated entities for

Health Information Exchange Section 3011 of the HITECH Act authorizes

immediate funding to strengthen the health information infrastructure of the United States and promote adoption of health information technology across the country.

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SHARP Purpose

To establish Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects focused on areas where breakthrough improvements can greatly enhance the transformational effects of health IT and address problems that have been barriers to adoption and progress along the pathway to meaningful use

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SHARP Approach

• Each site will implement a collaborative, interdisciplinary program of research addressing a specific focus area– Addressing short-term as well as long-term

challenges– Including a cooperative program engaging

multiple stakeholders to transition the results of research into practice

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Research Focus Areas (See Appendix B for additional details)

• Security of Health IT: Address challenges of developing security and risk mitigation policies and technologies necessary to build public trust as health IT systems use proliferates

• Patient-Centered Cognitive Support: Address the challenges of harnessing the power of health IT so that it integrates with, enhances, and supports clinicians’ reasoning and decision making

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Research Focus Areas(see Appendix B for additional details)

• Healthcare Application and Network Platform Architectures: Focus on development of new and improved architectures necessary to achieve secure, private, and accurate electronic exchange and use of health information

• Secondary Use of EHR Data: Focus on strategies to enhance use of EHR data in analytics and informed decision-making applications to improve the overall quality of health care

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Site Activities

• Identify a set of key issues and research challenges within their respective area of focus

• Conduct ambitious research addressing these key issues and challenges

• Track progress toward milestones• Facilitate practical and efficient processes that

enable translation of research into health care and public health innovations; e.g. partner with industry to rapidly transfer short-term results of this research into health IT products

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Additional Site Activities

• Disseminate research findings • Identify measurable outcomes specific to the

chosen research issue and methods for attaining results

• Participate in an external evaluation of overall performance

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Key Features of Sites

• Research Agenda• Multidisciplinary Approach• Highest Level of Expertise and Coordination• Relationship to ONC programs• Near term and Long-term Mission• Multi-sector Partnerships• Institutional Commitment• Project Evaluation• Project Advisory Committee (PAC)• Work with Federal Steering Committee (FSC)

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Federal Steering Committee (FSC)

• Many Federal Agencies Represented• Program Oversight• Guidance• Coordination across Project Sites• Evaluation Guidelines

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Award Information

• Four (4) awards will be given, in the form of cooperative agreements

• Four-year project period• Budget of $10 million to $18 million (average

award amount of $15 million) over each four-year project period

• Successful applicants will receive electronic Notice of Award in March 2010

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Evaluation and Milestones

• ONC will work with each awardee to develop specific plan and method of measurement

• Awardee progress toward key milestones will be regularly monitored on ongoing basis

• More formal assessment of performance expected by 12th, 24th, and 36th months of award

• Key project milestones are delineated in Section II, Part 4 (“Evaluation and Milestones”) in the FOA

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Responsibilities

ONC• Consultation and technical assistance• Coordination within ONC and other agencies• Review activities with respect to objectives• Assist with dissemination of results and findings

Additional Recipient Responsibilities – incl. Section II, Part 3 of FOA• Collaborate with other stakeholders, Federal staff identified by ONC,

and fellow SHARP awardees• Comply with all reporting requirements outlined in FOA

Joint Responsibilities• Collaborate to establish research agenda• Meet regularly to share progress reports

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Application Process and Format

• Register with www.grants.gov

• Obtain DUNS number (DUNS request line: 1-866-705-5711)

• Download the application from www.grants.gov CFDA #93.728

• Submit Letter of Intent by January 8, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST to Wil.Yu@HHS.gov (optional)

• Upload the application and all required attachments to www.grants.gov by January 25, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST

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Application Process and Format

• Clarification: An organization can apply for multiple focus areas but must file a separate application for each; project narrative should only address a single focus area

• Letter of Intent – Jan. 8th (See Appendix C for template)

• Application Format: (See Section IV for instructions)– Abstract– Project Narrative (up to 40 pages)

• Excludes biosketches, CVs, and organizational charts– Literature Cited, Work Plan, Letters of Commitment– Budget Narrative– AppendicesSee also Appendix D for list of required documents

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Resources

• Second technical assistance call for the SHARP program scheduled for January 4th, 2010 2:30 PM EDT

• With general program questions, email Wil.Yu@HHS.gov

• For assistance with www.grants.gov, email support@grants.gov or call 1-800-518-4726

• Check the ONC website for updates; additional questions will be added to FAQs healthit.hhs.gov/SHARP

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Questions?

• Submit your question electronically using the questions tab at the top of screen

• Unanswered questions will be addressed on the ONC website (healthit.hhs.gov). Follow up questions (encouraged) may be emailed to Wil.Yu@HHS.gov

• These slides and a transcript of this TA call will be posted on the ONC website shortly

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