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In order to better support the work of health
centers in managing their Health Center Program
grants, the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) is streamlining and simplifying many
of its grants and data reporting processes through
enhancements to its current electronic systems.
These enhancements will produce numerous benefits
for grantees including improved processes for
applying for grants, facilitating submissions
for requesting changes in scope of project,
and more efficient performance reporting. For
HRSA, these enhancements will bring together
into one centralized system, data and information
used to monitor grants, record program changes,
and track program performance. This system will
assist and simplify communication between grantees,
project officers, and the HRSA Office of Grants
Management. In addition, grants application
processes that are currently based on uploading
hard copy paper documents will be replaced with
more efficient electronic submission through
the HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) portal. With
the enhanced EHB, grantees and HRSA staff will
have more ready access to reliable information
needed for effective decision-making and program
implementation. The transition to a single information
management system through the HRSA EHB is currently
being phased in and targeted to be fully operational
for Health Center Program grantees by the end
of calendar year 2008.
HRSA is aware that anticipated changes to
its EHB system will require changes in the way
that Health Center Program grantees collect
and report data. Therefore, in advance of implementing
each major step requiring active grantee involvement
(highlighted in Section III below), HRSA is
committed to:
- detailed communication notifying grantees
of the scheduled changes to the electronic
system;
- in-depth testing of each change to the
system involving both grantees and HRSA project
officers;
- providing technical assistance at each
stage including:
- conducting demonstrations at grantee
meetings throughout the year (e.g., BPHC
All Grantee Meeting, NACHC, State and
Regional PCA meetings);
- holding a grantee conference call or
web cast to describe changed processes;
- establishing an “acclimation”
website to assist in familiarizing grantees
with EHB data and information submission
requirements;
- providing a help desk (toll free telephone
number), email box, and online access
to frequently asked questions (at hrsa.answers.gov)
to respond to grantee questions; and
- enabling Project Officers to assist
grantees with the changes.
The intent of HRSA’s communication strategy
is to assure that Health Center Program grantees
are notified in advance of any change and to
provide direction in accessing training and
technical assistance resources designed to assist
grantees in the transition to the current EHB
processes.
The items that follow below are the major
activities to be undertaken in the implementation
of enhancements to HRSA’s EHB by the end
of 2008. As stated previously, HRSA is committed
to providing Health Center Program grantees
with detailed information for each activity
prior to and during implementation.
1. Change in Scope (CIS)
In August 2007, Health Center Program grantees
were instructed to submit requests for prior
approval of changes in scope (CIS) of project
through a new electronic process using HRSA’s
EHB wherein grantees upload required application
forms for review and approval. This new electronic
process replaces the former one of sending
CIS applications to bphcscope@hrsa.gov. The
process and technical assistance are described
in PIN 2002-07 which is available at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/systemhelp/.
It is anticipated that a more robust CIS (Phase
2) submission and approval process will be
forthcoming in April of 2008 with full electronic
submission.
2. Baseline Scope Verification (BSV)
Accurate, reliable and timely information
on each Health Center Program grantee’s
scope of project will help HRSA staff provide
better customer service to grantees, facilitate
more timely decision-making on grantee submissions
such as CIS, and assure that accurate information
is readily available. All grantees will be
required to participate in a scope verification
process during the first quarter of 2008.
The purpose of the process is to transfer
data on the most recently approved scope of
project from a “paper” application
to the EHB. Each Health Center Program grantee
will be required to enter the EHB system and
verify data on scope of project, specifically
information on approved services, sites and
other activities/locations. Grantees will
be given the opportunity to review and verify
site data pre-populated from HRSA’s
current databases and will be required to
enter data on services and other activities
that are part of the current approved scope
of project. These data will establish an electronic
baseline of scope of project for each Health
Center Program grantee which will be available
for all future grant activities and actions.
3. Grant Applications
Commencing in February 2008 with the fiscal
year (FY) 2009 Service Area Competition and
Budget Period Renewal applications, applicants
for FY 2009 funding opportunities will go
through the two-step process of:
- initiating and submitting the initial grant
application in Grants.gov and
- finalizing and completing additional information
required through the EHB, including any HRSA
program specific forms, such as forms 5-Part
A, 5 Part-B and 5 Part-C, electronically.
Health Center Program grantees will submit
requested application data using both structured
forms that will be completed electronically
and unstructured forms that will be uploaded.
The data collected in the scope verification
process will pre-populate forms for future
grant submissions, thereby saving health
centers’ time and effort in preparing
grant applications. Unstructured data will
be attached electronically to provide the
remaining required information for each
grant application. Ultimately, grantees
will not only save time and effort in the
preparation and submission of grant applications,
but they will also be able to track the
status of their grant applications.
4. Uniform Data System (UDS)
UDS reporting will be conducted through
the EHB commencing in February 2009 with
the submission of calendar year (CY) 2008
data (i.e., CY 2008 data will be submitted
via the EHB rather than by computerized
disk). Comprehensive technical assistance
regarding data collection and reporting
will be made available to grantees during
2008. Access to these resources can also
be arranged by contacting your Primary Care
Association.
HRSA is committed to assuring a smooth and
successful transition to the current electronic
processes in the EHB system. To this end, we
are preparing numerous technical assistance
resources to assist grantees. We are confident
that these processes will streamline, simplify,
and reduce grantee burden. We look forward to
working with you on this transition. If you
have any questions, please contact the BPHC's
CIS and BSV Help Line at 301-443-7356.
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