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| Telehealth
Funding Guide |
January
2005
Starting
Point
Telehealth
has
become
a
large,
diverse
field
that
is
still
rapidly
growing
and
evolving.
A
few
years
ago,
telehealth
funding
came
from
limited
number
of
specialized
programs.
Today,
funding
for
a
telehealth
project
could
be
available
from
numerous
sources,
many
of
which
will
not
be
specifically
identified
as
telehealth/telemedicine.
This
listing
of
federal
telehealth
funding
sources
is
designed
to
get
you
started
in
your
quest
for
telehealth
funding
sources.
You
are
urged
to
explore
telehealth
funding
sources
as
well
as
mainstream
programs
that
might
be
interested
in
incorporating
telehealth
features.
Mainstream
Federal
Government
Funding
Now
that
the
benefits
of
many
telehealth
applications
have
been
demonstrated,
federal
agencies
want
to
incorporate
telehealth
features
in
appropriate
mainstream
programs.
For
example,
the
Health
Resources
and
Services
Administration
(HRSA)
within
the
U.S.
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
(DHHS)
believes
that
the
benefits
of
telehealth
activities
can
improve
the
effectiveness
and
efficiency
of
its
mainstream
programs.
Therefore,
HRSA
awards
preference
points
in
some
grant
competitions
to
applications
that
incorporate
telehealth
features.
This
mainstreaming
of
telehealth
means
that
“telehealth”
funds
are
potentially
available
from
numerous
clinical
grant
programs.
For
example,
a
program
designed
to
fund
innovative
projects
for
diabetes
could
be
the
best
source
of
funds
for
a
project
that
proposed
delivering
services
to
a
diabetes
patient
via
telehealth.
An
applicant
should
track
the
clinical
grant
announcements
for
ones
that
encourage
the
inclusion
of
telehealth
features.
Partnering
Often,
the
best
way
to
develop
a
proposal
for
a
mainstream
funding
grant
is
for
an
organization
with
telehealth
skills
to
partner
with
an
organization
with
clinical
expertise.
Increasingly,
there
is
a
well-developed
knowledge
base
in
a
telehealth
application
as
well
as
in
the
clinical
area.
Therefore,
the
task
is
to
integrate
these
two
knowledge
bases,
not
to
reinvent
one
of
them.
Combining
the
telehealth
and
clinical
expertise
can
produce
the
most
cost-effective
proposal.
Locating
Other
Resources
A
good
starting
point
for
information
on
telehealth
is
the
Telemedicine
Information
Exchange
(TIE).
The
TIE
maintains
a
searchable
database
of
funding
sources
for
telemedicine
and
telehealth
activity,
which
includes
funding
opportunities
in
both
the
government
and
private
sectors.
The
TIE
collects
and
maintains
a
variety
of
details
about
each
funding
opportunity,
such
as
contact
information,
related
Websites,
deadlines,
and
other
notes.
The
TIE
was
created
by
the
Telemedicine
Research
Center
and
funded
by
the
National
Library
of
Medicine,
National
Institutes
of
Health.
Links
to
funding
opportunities
throughout
the
U.S.
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
(DHHS)
can
be
found
at
http://www.hhs.gov/grants/index.shtml
HHS
manages
over
300
programs
designed
to
protect
the
health
of
all
Americans
and
provide
essential
human
services,
especially
for
those
who
are
least
able
to
help
themselves.
HHS,
with
a
FY
2005
budget
of
$580
billion,
is
the
largest
grant-making
agency
is
the
federal
government.
The
HHS
homepage
provides
links
to
all
HHS
agencies
including
the
Health
Resources
and
Services
Administration
(HRSA),
the
National
Institutes
of
Health
(NIH),
the
Food
and
Drug
Administration
(FDA)
and
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC).
Links
to
funding
opportunities
at
most
federal
departments
can
be
found
at
http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Links/Fed.html,
a
site
maintained
by
the
University
of
California,
Berkeley.
Locating
Foundation
Resources
The
Foundation
Center,
a
nonprofit
entity,
located
on
the
web
at,
provides
a
wealth
of
information
on
what
foundation
support
might
be
available
for
a
telehealth
project
and
how
to
develop
the
best
proposal.
The
Foundation
Center
tracks
the
funding
activity
of
thousands
of
foundations
in
numerous
subject
areas
including
health
and
provides
background
information
on
foundations
as
well
as
their
prior
funding
patterns
and
projects.
The
Foundation
Center
maintains
a
database
of
foundations
that
award
grants
directly
to
individuals.
This
database
is
available
in
both
a
print
edition
and
an
online
format.
The
print
directory
($65)
features
over
5,500
entries
on
foundations.
Six
indexes
are
provided
to
help
target
prospective
grants
by
subject
area,
types
of
support,
grantmaker
name,
and
more.
The
online
database
is
searchable
by
foundation
name,
foundation
city,
foundation
state,
field
of
interest,
type
of
support,
geographic
focus,
company
name,
school
name,
and
free
text
search.
It
is
available
on
a
monthly
($9.95)
or
annual
($99.95)
basis
by
subscription.
These
listings
do
not
generally
mention
telehealth/telemedicine.
Therefore,
researchers
will
need
to
identify
potential
funding
sources
through
searchers
on
health
topics
or
population
characteristics.
After
becoming
familiar
with
The
Foundation
Center’s
offerings
through
exploring
its
web
site,
a
researcher
might
want
to
visit
a
local
Foundation
Center
Cooperating
Collections
both
for
free
access
to
the
database
as
well
as
assistance
in
organizing
a
search.
The
Foundation
Center
Cooperating
Collections
are
generally
located
in
a
public
or
university
library.
Source
of
Information
The
information
in
this
guide
was
submitted
by
the
programs,
themselves.
|
| Rural
Utilities Service (RUS) top |
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and Grant
ProgramContact:
Jonathan P. Claffey
Acting Assistant Administrator
Telecommunications Program
(202) 720-9554 (voice)
(202) 720-0810 (fax)
jclaffey@usda.gov
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program
(202) 720-0413 (voice)
(202) 720-1051 (fax)
dltinfo@usda.gov
The Distance Learning and Telemedicine Loan and
Grant Program (DLT) program improves access to
health care services and education in rural communities
by encouraging and improving the use of telecommunications,
computer networks, and related technologies. The
program provides grants, combination loan-grants
and loans.
Grants can be used to fund capital costs on a
one-time funding basis and require 15% matching
funds. Specifically, the DLT grants fund the costs
of acquiring and installing eligible equipment
at health care sites, schools, and at other eligible
sites. System operating expenses, including salaries,
are not eligible. Applications for grants will
go through a competitive scoring process in accordance
with guidelines published at 7 CFR 1703.126. The
deadline for FY 2005 applications for grants was
February 1, 2005.
The combination loan-grant and loan programs fund
the same eligible equipment as the grants (at
the same type of end-user sites), and expand the
reach of financial assistance to some construction,
and, in some cases, acquisition of telecommunications
transmission facilities.
Combination loan-grant and loan applications are
evaluated on eligibility, credit quality, feasibility
and other factors. Loan-grant and loan applications
are accepted at any time, are not competitively
scored, and are processed in the order they are
received.
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) funds incorporated
organizations that operate educational or medical
facilities in rural area or that provide distance
learning or telemedicine services to such organizations
or facilities.
The Program also funds consortia or partnerships
of organizations that provide rural educational
or health care services. In addition, units of
state and local government are eligible to apply.
The FY 2004 DLT program provided $24.6 million
in grants to 62 organizations, $22.7 million in
combination loan-grants to 4 organizations and
one loan for $9.7 million. The amounts available
for the FY05 DLT program were listed in the January
18, 2005 Federal Register as: Grants $20.8 million;
Loans $9.6 million; and Combination Loan-Grants
$44 million. Additional information, the application
guide and toolkit are available at: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm.The
DLT regulation can be found at: http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm.
|
| Office
for the Advancement of Telehealth top |
HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB), Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Dept. of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) Telehealth
Network Grant Program (TNGP)
Contact:
Carl Allen
(301) 443-0447 (voice)
(301) 443-1330 (fax)
callen@hrsa.gov
(email)
The primary objective of the Telehealth Network
Grant Program (TNGP) is to help communities
build the human, technical, and financial capacity
to develop sustainable telehealth programs and
networks. Grants may be used to develop telehealth
network projects in rural areas, in medically
underserved areas, in frontier communities,
and for medically underserved populations, to
(a) expand access to, coordinate, and improve
the quality of health care services; (b) improve
and expand the training of health care providers;
and (c) expand and improve the quality of health
information available to health care providers,
and patients and their families. Awards will
be made for up to three years.
To be eligible for this program, the applying
organization shall be a nonprofit entity that
will provide services through a telehealth network.
Each entity participating in the telehealth
network may be a nonprofit or for-profit entity.
Faith-based and community based organizations
are eligible to apply. The telehealth network
shall include at least two of the following
entities (at least one of which shall be a community-based
health care provider): (a) community or migrant
health centers or other federally qualified
health centers; (b) health care providers, including
pharmacists, in private practice; (c) entities
operating clinics, including rural health clinics;
(d) local health departments; (e) nonprofit
hospitals, including community (critical) access
hospitals; (f) other publicly funded health
or social service agencies; (g) long-term care
providers; (h) providers of health care services
in the home; (i) providers of outpatient mental
health services and entities operating outpatient
mental health facilities; (j) local or regional
emergency health care providers; (k) institutions
of higher education; or (l) entities operating
dental clinics.
The funding priorities for this program are:
(a) clinical telemedicine networks that address
chronic conditions (e.g. asthma, diabetes) in
a variety of settings, such as patient homes,
schools, and other community settings; (b) projects
designed to improve health care outcomes (e.g.
improved access, productivity, dollars saved)
as well as improved quality of services (e.g.
reduction of medical errors); (c) clinical telemedicine
networks that include distance-learning education
for health professionals, and patients and their
families, if such activities are in conjunction
with the delivery of health services; and (d)
clinical telemedicine networks that integrate
their telemedicine information system into overall
electronic clinical information systems (e.g.
electronic medical record) used by network members.
In September 2003 OAT funded 15 TNGP projects
at up to $250,000 each for a total of approximately
$3.75 million. These grantees are eligible for
non competing funding for a second and third
year. In September 2004, these 15 grantees were
awarded second year funding of approximately
$250,000 each for a total of $3.75 million.
Whether or not additional grantees are added
in future funding cycles will depend on future
appropriations. Potential grantees are encouraged
to check the OAT website (below) for that information.
Since 1989, the Office for the Advancement of
Telehealth, formerly located with the Office
of Rural Health Policy, has invested over $250
million in funding telemedicine/telehealth demonstration
and evaluation projects, including projects
funded under the Rural Health Outreach Grant
Program.
Descriptions of current OAT-funded telemedicine/telehealth
projects can be found at http://telehealth.hrsa.gov.
The Health Resources
and Services Administration (HRSA) directs
programs that improve the Nation's health by
expanding access to comprehensive, quality health
care for all Americans. HRSA works to improve
and extend life for people living with HIV/AIDS,
provide primary health care to medically underserved
people, serve women and children through state
programs, and train a health workforce that
is both diverse and motivated to work in underserved
communities. The FY 2005 HRSA Preview includes
summaries, application deadlines and links to
guidance for all HRSA programs expected to hold
competitions in FY 2005.
|
| Office
of Rural Health Policy (ORHP)
top
|
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant
Program Contact:
Eileen Holloran (general information)
(301) 443-0835 (voice)
(301) 443-2803 (fax)
eholloran@hrsa.gov
(email)
Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grant Program
Grant funds are available for projects that support
the direct delivery of health care and related
services, expand existing services, or enhance
health service delivery through programs that
provide direct health care, provide health education,
promotion and prevention or address other health
related needs. The emphasis is on the actual delivery
of specific services rather than the development
of organizational capabilities. Projects goals
are achieved by consortia of three or more organizations
of the same type of providers (e.g., all hospitals)
or more diversified health care provider groups.
Each member of the consortium must have a significant
role in the proposed project and the target population
or community must be included in planning and
developing the project.
Grant funds can be used to purchase equipment
or vehicles provided that their cost does not
exceed 40 percent per year of the federal grant
amount. Funds under this program may not be used
for the purchase, construction, renovation or
improvement of a building or property or for in-patient
care.
Under this grant program, ORHP funds rural nonprofit
or public entities that have their organizational
headquarters located in a rural county or in a
rural ZIP Code of an urban county. All services
must be provided in a rural county or ZIP Code.
Additional information about the Office of Rural
Health Policy, complete program eligibility requirements,
other funding opportunities to serve rural areas
and application materials can be found on the
ORHP web site at: http://www.ruralhealth.hrsa.gov.
Dates of competition: Application available: June
2005
Due Date: September 2005
|
| National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA) top |
U.S. Dept. of Commerce (DOC)
Contact: (202) 482-2048 (voice)
(202) 501-8009 (fax)
top@ntia.doc.gov
(email)
The Technology Opportunities Program (TOP)
is a highly-competitive, merit-based grant program
that brings the benefits of digital network
technologies to communities throughout the United
States. TOP will not be awarding grants in FY
2005. Since 1994, TOP has awarded matching grants
to public and non-profit organizations to demonstrate
practical applications of telecommunications
and information technologies. To date, TOP has
awarded 610 grants, in all 50 states, Puerto
Rico, the District of Columbia, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, totaling $233.59 million and
leveraging $313.7 million in local matching
funds. In FY 2004, 27 awards were made totaling
more than $14.4 million.
More information on the grant program and its
recent awards is available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/top,
(202) 482-2048 (voice), (202) 501-8009 (fax),
top@ntia.doc.gov
(e-mail).
|
|
Office
of Rural Mental Health Research (ORMHR)
top
|
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),
National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Dept.
of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Contact:
Anthony Pollitt, Ph.D.
Chief, Rural Mental Health Research Program
(301) 443-4525 (voice)
(301) 443-8552 (fax)
apollitt@nih.gov
(email)
ORMHR/NIMH supports research focusing on a variety
of issues that would ultimately enhance access
to and quality of mental health care to rural
and frontier populations. The NIMH and The National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have issued a new
Program Announcement (PA) that details a number
of issues in need of further research. The announcement,
“Research On Rural Mental Health And Drug
Abuse Disorders,” can be found at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-103.html.
Application deadlines are February 1, June 1,
and October 1 of each year. Two key issues included
in the PA are: (1) studies of intervention models
of care that would enhance the delivery of mental
health services to diverse rural and frontier
communities; and (2) studies of the efficacy/effectiveness
of diagnosing and delivering care through telecommunications
modalities to underserved locations and populations,
e.g., rural and frontier communities, the incarcerated,
the hearing impaired, and the elderly who are
in nursing homes or homebound.
Information on NIMH grants can be found at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/researchfunding/grants.cfm.ORMHR
funds non-profit and for-profit organizations.
|
| National
Library of Medicine (NLM) top
|
National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department
of Health and Human
Services (DHHS)
The following units within the National Library
of Medicine (NLM) fund telemedicine, biomedical
informatics projects and related activities. Information
on each unit's programs is provided below.
- Division of Extramural Programs
(EP)
- Resource Support for Information Management
- Internet Access to Digital Libraries
(IADL) Grants
- Information System Grants
- Integrated Advanced Information
Management Systems (IAIMS) Grants
- Support for Research & Development
- Small Project Grants (R03)
- Exploratory/Developmental Grants
(R21)
- Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR)
- Office for High Performance Computing and
Communications (OHPCC)
- National Network of Libraries of Medicine
(NN/LM)
All programs are announced on the NLM website
at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov.
|
|
Division of Extramural Programs
(EP) top
|
Within the Division of Extramural Programs (EP),
there are three areas of interest for telemedicine
grantees:
- Resource Support for Information Management
- Support for Research & Development
- Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Resource Support for Information Management
Contact: Valerie
Florance, PhD
Division of Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Rockledge One, Suite 301
6705 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 594-4882 (voice)
(301)402-2952 (fax)
FloranV@mail.nlm.nh.gov
(email)
Within the Resource Support for Information Management
there are three grant programs related to telehealth:
Internet Access to Digital Libraries
(IADL)
Applications are accepted 3 times per
year: February 1, June 1 and October 1. The
Internet Access to Digital Libraries (IADL)
grant enables organizations to improve infrastructure
for access to scientific or health-related information
offered by NLM and others. U.S. public and private,
non-profit health-related organizations are
eligible to apply. These grants can be for 1
or 2 years. The base amount is $45,000, with
additional funds available for multi-site proposals.
A description of the program and application
process is available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/GrantIADL.html.
Information System Grants
Applications are accepted 3 times per
year: February 1, June 1 and October 1. The
Information System grants support projects for
using computers and networks to improve access
to and management of health information. Projects
usually focus on providing new information resources
and services to a target audience of consumers,
patients or health professionals. U.S. public
and private, non-profit health-related organizations
are eligible to apply. These grants can be for
up to 3 years; the average award is $150,000
per year. A description of the program and application
process is available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/GrantInfoSys.html.
Integrated Advanced Information Management
Systems (IAIMS) Grants Applications are
accepted 3 times per year: February 1, June
1 and October 1.
The National Library of Medicine provides IAIMS
grants to health-related organizations for projects
to plan, design, test and deploy systems and
techniques for integrating data, information
and knowledge resources into a comprehensive
networked information management system. Particular
emphasis is placed on trans-organizational mechanisms
that enable the easy flow of information between
health-related organizations, such as from a
community clinic to a hospital or public health
department, or between arenas of action, such
as between health care and basic biomedical
research. U.S. private and public, for-profit
and not-for-profit organizations are eligible
to apply. There are 5 different types of grants
in the IAIMS program - 2 resource grants (planning
and operations), 2 investigational grants (pilot
study and testing & evaluation) and a fellowship).
Award amount varies by program. All IAIMS grants
are described at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/Grants.html.
Support for Research and Development
Contact:
Valerie Florance, PhD
Division of Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Rockledge One, Suite 301
6705 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 594-4882 (voice)
(301)402-2952 (fax)
FloranV@mail.nlm.nh.gov
(email)
Research Grants in Biomedical Informatics
and Bioinformatics (R01)
Applications are accepted 3 times per year:
February 1, June 1 and October 1.NLM funds investigator-initiated
research that centers on understanding data,
information and knowledge - their nature, forms
and uses - in the domains of health care and
basic biological sciences. NLM's biomedical
informatics research grants support the study
of how information is best captured, represented,
stored, retrieved, manipulated, managed and
disseminated for use in clinical medicine, health
services administration, education and basic
biomedical sciences. Topics of interest relating
to telehealth include knowledge representation,
linkage of clinical and genomic information,
effects of information technology and informatics
advances on health care processes and outcomes,
human-machine interaction, efficient management
and use of large-scale data repositories. The
average award in this program is $250,000 in
direct costs per year for up to three years.
A description of the program is available at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/GrantResearch.html.
Small Project Grants (R03)
Applications are accepted 3 times per year:
February 1, June 1 and October 1.Small grants
are short-term awards designed to support basic
and clinical research to answer specific, targeted
research questions or to perform pilot or feasibility
testing in biomedical informatics or bioinformatics.
U.S. private and public, for-profit and not-for-profit
organizations are eligible to apply. Small project
grants provide up to $50,000 per year for one
or two years. A description of the program and
application process is available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/GrantSmallProjects.html
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Applications are accepted 3 times per year:
February 1, June 1 and October 1. Exploratory/Developmental
grants support the early and conceptual stages
of innovative research projects in biomedical
informatics, biotechnology information, and
health sciences library and information science.
Their purpose is to foster the introduction
of novel scientific ideas, model systems, tools,
agents, targets, and technologies that have
the potential to substantially advance informatics
research. The applicant may request a project
period of up to two years with a combined budget
for direct costs of up $275,000 for the two
year period. A description of the program and
application process is available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/GrantExDev.html.
Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR)Contact:
Milton Corn, MD, Director,
Division of Extramural Programs
National Library of Medicine
Rockledge One, Suite 301
6705 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 496-4621 (voice)
(301) 402-2952 (fax)
cornm@mail.nlm.nih.gov
(email)
Small Business Innovation and Research
(SBIR) Grants.
Applications are accepted 3 times per year:
April 1, August 1, and December 1. SBIR grants
are available to small businesses that wish
to bring ideas to market. NLM supports SBIR
grants in its areas of interest - the management
and communication of medical or health information
and knowledge, including its development, transmission,
dissemination, and evaluation. Phase 1 SBIR
grants can provide $100,000 for 6 months of
basic research & development. Projects that
successfully complete Phase I can apply for
a Phase II grant. The program and application
process are described at http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm
and additional information on the SBIR program
at NIH is available at http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbirsttr_programs.htm.
A grant review cycle takes approximately 9 months,
from deadline to award.
For example:
Cycle I
Application Receipt Date: February 1
Merit Review: June-July
Board of Regents Review: September-October
Earliest Project Start Date: DecemberFor more
information on Application Submission, Review,
and Award Cycles follow the NIH cycles, see
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/Lifecycle.html.
For more information on grant deadlines, see
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/Deadlines.html
|
|
Office for High Performance Computing and Communications
(OHPCC)
top |
Contact:
Michael J. Ackerman, PhD
Assistant Director, HPCC
National Library of Medicine
Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications
(LHNCBC)
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda MD 20894
(301) 402-4100 (voice)
(301) 402-4080 (fax)
ackerman@nlm.nih.gov
(e-mail)
NLM has sponsored programs in telemedicine, generally
from the perspective of the application of communications
technologies for delivery of health care at a
distance. Management of these programs has been
the responsibility of the OHPCC, and projects
are generally funded through contract awards.
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are available when
issued from the NLM Office of Acquisitions Management,
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/oam/oam.html.
The following programs, which were funded over
a multi-year period, are described in detail on
the OHPCC Web site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/telemedinit.html
and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/ngiinit.html.
- Scalable Information Infrastructure Projects
(2003)
- Next Generation Internet (NGI) Projects
(1998)
- NLM Telemedicine Initiative (1996)
- High Performance Computing and Communications
(1994)
The CD-ROM from the Telemedicine Symposium which
was co-funded by the Office for the Advancement
of Telehealth and was held on March 13 and 14,
2001 is available on the web only.
See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/telesymp.html.
Also included are other documents and information
pertaining to NLM's Telemedicine Initiative.
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National Network of Library of Medicine (NN/LM)
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Contact:
Angela B. Ruffin, PhD
Head
NN/LM National Network Office
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike, Bldg. 38, Room B1-E03
Bethesda, Maryland 20894
(301) 496-4777 (voice)
(301) 480-1467 (fax)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nno/nnohome.html
NLM administers the National Network of Libraries
of Medicine (NN/LM), consisting of eight Regional
Medical Libraries (RMLs), and over 5,000 health
sciences libraries and a growing number of public
libraries. The RMLs offer training programs, various
types of project funding, and other resources
to reach the underserved and minority health professionals
in rural, urban and inner city areas, the public
health workforce, and the general public. For
further information, consult http://nnlm.gov
to identify and link to your local RML.
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| National
Cancer Institute (NCI) top
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National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S.
Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Multimedia
Technology Health Communication Grants-NCI
Contact:
Connie Dresser, RDPH, LN
(301) 435-2846 (voice)
(301) 480-2087 (fax)
cd34b@nih.gov
(email)
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) at NIH
has a designated program in the Division of
Cancer Control and Population Sciences that
addresses the use of multimedia technology to
translate cancer research into programs, interventions,
systems, networks, or products needed by the
public or primary care professionals to reduce
cancer risk or improve the quality of life of
cancer survivors.
The goals of the Multimedia Technology Health
Communication SBIR Grant Program are to 1) fund
science-based, user-centered grants and contracts
to translate cancer research into programs,
interventions, systems, networks, or products
needed by professionals or the public to reduce
cancer risk or improve the quality of life of
cancer survivors; 2) promote the use of innovative
media technology and/or communication approaches
in cancer prevention and control applications
used in medical and community settings; 3) improve
communication behaviors of primary care professions,
patients, and care-givers in cancer-related
matters; 4) promote organizational infrastructures
changes that promote the use of products developed
in the program; 5) promote the development of
system models and 6) expand the methods for
evaluating ehealth research and developed products.
Applicants are required to develop, implement,
and test the effectiveness of new or existing
models of behavior modification, information,
education or training using a variety of media
technology including: computer applications,
expert systems, advanced telephone technologies,
television, radio, videotext, virtual reality,
the Web, and wireless technologies in nine research
categories.Specifically, the program uses the
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant
mechanism and the Small Business Technology
Transfer (STIR) Grant mechanism to fund multimedia
technology grants. The SBIR mechanism funds
small businesses and the STIR mechanism funds
collaborations between small businesses and
non-profit organizations.
Background Information on NIH's Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
(From the NIH guide to Grants and Contracts)
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
program provides support for research and development
(R&D) of new technologies and methodologies
which have the potential to succeed as commercial
products. The government supports this type
of grant mechanism because innovative technologies
and methodologies fuel progress in biomedical
and behavioral research and represent an increasingly
important area of the economy. The intent of
the SBIR program is to increase private sector
commercialization of innovations derived from
federal R&D.The applicant organization must
be a small business concern, and the primary
employment of the principle investigator must
be with the small business at the time of the
award and during the conduct of the proposed
project. However, scientists at research institutions
can play important roles in an SBIR project
by serving as consultants and/or sub-contactors
to the small business. Certain agencies (e.g.,
FDA, NIH, and CDC) are required to reserve a
specified amount of their extramural research
or R&D budget for an SBIR program.The objectives
of the SBIR program's three phases are:
- Phase I: Determine the scientific and technical
merit, feasibility and potential for commercialization
of the proposed project.
- Phase II: Develop the product, implement
it in a large-scale study or clinical trial
and evaluate its impact and effectiveness
with potential end-users.
- Phase III: Where appropriate, pursue with
non-SBIR funds, the commercialization of the
results of the research or R&D of Phases
I and II.
For more information about the SBIR/STTR grants
funded by this program, access the home page:
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/hcirb/sbir
or contact Connie Dresser, the Program Director
at: cd34b@nih.gov.
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| Centers
for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
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U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Telemedicine Payment Evaluation Project and the
Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine
(IDEATel) Demonstration Project
Contact: Diana L.
Ayres
(410) 786-7203 (voice)
In February 2000, as a result of legislative mandates
in section 4207 of the Balanced Budget Act of
1997 (BBA 97), section 413 of the Balanced Budget
Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA 99), and BIPA 00,
CMS awarded a $28 million 4-year cooperative agreement
to Columbia University to focus on the monitoring
and care of Medicare beneficiaries residing in
medically underserved inner city and rural areas
(including those beneficiaries with limited English
speaking capabilities) of New York suffering from
diabetes mellitius. In September 2004, as a result
of legislation contained in section 417 of the
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization
Act of 2003, CMS awarded $10.2 for the first year
(of a potential $29 million 4-year cooperative
agreement) to extend the demonstration for an
additional 4-years. The second phase of IDEATel
began on February 28, 2004, and will expire on
February 28, 2008. For the most part, the logistics
remain the same, although some changes may occur
as a result of lessons learned from phase 1.
The demonstration is multi-faceted, and involves
remote patient monitoring and interventional informatics,
automated clinical guidelines and standards, and
specialized curricula for health care professionals
dealing with the use of informatics and telemedicine
systems. The demonstration is intended to apply
high capacity telemedicine and computing networks
and services to improve primary and preventative
care related to diabetes. The project is designed
as a blocked, randomized controlled trial consisting
of 1,665 urban and rural participants (775 in
New York City, basically in Manhattan and the
Bronx and 890 in 39 counties in upstate New York).
The participants are randomly assigned equally
to a treatment or control group. The participants
in the treatment group receive a home telemedicine
unit (HTU) and diabetes care management provided
by nurse case managers. The control group participants
continue to receive usual care from their primary
care physicians. The HTU consists of a personal
computer with audio/video communication capabilities
and devices for measuring blood sugar and blood
pressure. The HTU allows participants to monitor
their blood pressure and blood sugar and transmit
these measurements to nurse case managers, communicate
via audio/video conferencing with nurse case managers
(known as televisits) and access web-based feature
such as educational materials and chat rooms that
are accessible only to other participants.
In addition to the demonstration, Congress also
mandated that an independent evaluation be performed.
The evaluation is to include an assessment of
telemedicine's impact on improving access to health
care services, reducing Medicare costs, and improving
quality of life. CMS contracted with Mathematica
Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) to prepare the mandated
interim and final evaluation reports, the first
of which was forwarded to Congress on May 7, 2003.
MPR will prepare an interim report for submittal
to Congress mid 2005. General information about
CMS grant and contract solicitations can be found
at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ResearchDemoGrantsOpt/.
Information on Medicaid and telemedicine can be
found at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Telehealth/ |
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Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
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U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
In October 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality (AHRQ) in the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS) announced $139 million
in grants and contracts to promote the use of
health information technology (HIT).
These awards will provide insight into how best
to use health information technologies to improve
patient safety by reducing medication errors;
increasing the use of shared health information
between providers, laboratories, pharmacies and
patients; helping to insure safer patient transitions
between health care settings, including hospitals,
doctors' offices, and nursing homes; and reducing
duplicative and unnecessary testing.
"These grants will provide the momentum needed
to move forward with the creation of a safer U.S.
health care system based on proven health information
technologies, especially in the rural and small
communities throughout America where the need
is so great," said AHRQ Director Carolyn
M. Clancy, M.D. "Health care systems across
the country can learn from our grantees' experiences
and follow their lead."
The $139 million will be used in the following
ways:
- Transforming Health Care Quality thru Information
Technology (THQIT) - The THQIT initiative
is a multi-year program funding over 100 grants
to communities, hospitals, providers, and
health care systems to help in all phases
in the planning, development, and use of health
information technology. The grants are spread
across 38 States, with a special focus on
small and rural hospitals and communities.
First-year funding is $41 million and will
total nearly $96 million over three years.
- Developing Statewide and Regional networks-Five-year
contracts to five States (CO, IN, RI, TN,
UT) or their designees to help them develop
Statewide networks that are secure, ensure
privacy of health information, and make an
individuals' health information more available
to health care providers. Participants include
major purchasers of health care, public and
private payers, hospitals, ambulatory care
facilities, home health care providers, and
long-term care providers. First-year funding
is $1 million for each State and will total
$25 million over the course of the contracts.
- Encouraging adoption of HIT by sharing knowledge
-The creation of the AHRQ National Health
Resource Center for Health IT to aid grantees
and other Federal partners by providing technical
assistance, provide a focus for collaboration,
serve as a repository for best practices,
and disseminate needed tools to help providers
explore the adoption and use of health information
technology to improve patient safety and quality
of care. The two-year contract, renewable
for up to three years, was awarded to The
National Opinion Research Center (NORC), http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/about/index.asp
a national organization for research at the
University of Chicago. First-year funding
is $4 million, with an estimated value of
$18.5 million over the course of the contract.
For the full HHS press release on these projects,
go to http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2004/hhshitpr.htm.
For specific information on each award, go to
www.ahrq.gov/research/hitfact.htm.
These projects support President Bush's initiative
to use HIT to improve the Nation's health care
system. More information on DHHS activities in
HIT can be found at the web site of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology
at http://www.hhs.gov/healthit.
Information on FY 2005 AHRQ funding opportunities,
including HIT, is available through the AHRQ Web
site at http://www.ahrq.gov;
through AHRQ InstantFAX by calling 301-594-2800
from a fax machine with a telephone handset; and
from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse (AHRQ
Publications Clearinghouse; P.O. Box 8547; Silver
Spring, MD 20907-8547; (800) 358-9295; (888) 586-6349
(TDD). The monthly publication Research Activities
provides information on grant announcements and
RFPs for contracts and is available through the
AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse.
AHRQ's research projects examine the availability,
quality and costs of health care services; ways
to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness
of clinical practice, including the prevention
of disease; and other areas of health services
research, such as services for persons with HIV
infection.
AHRQ uses mechanisms of grants, cooperative agreements,
and contracts to carry out research projects,
demonstrations, evaluations, and dissemination
activities. AHRQ also supports small grants, conference
grants, and training through dissertation grants
and National Research Service Awards to institutions
and individuals. Areas of specific interest for
grants and cooperative agreements are announced
in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. These
may be areas of ongoing interest identified in
program announcements (PAs) or targeted one-time
activities identified in requests for applications
(RFAs).
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| National
Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST)
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U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Advance Technology
Program-Information Infrastructure for Healthcare
(IIH)
Contact
for information about eligibility, how to apply,
and cost-sharing requirements, the ATP program:
(800) 287-3863 (voice recording)
(301) 926-9254 (fax)
atp@nist.gov
(email)
Mail Stop 4720
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-4701
Contact for technical information:
Bettijoyce Lide, Program Manager
(301) 975-2218 (voice)
(301)926-9524 (fax)
bettijoyce.lide@nist.gov
(email)
The National Institutes of Standards and Technology's
(NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) supports
strategic, high-risk research in cutting-edge
technologies through a government/private-sector
partnership program. ATP will not hold a competition
for funding high-risk R&D in fiscal year 2005.
In fiscal year 2004, Advanced Technology Program
(ATP) funded such health projects as the detection
and treatment of cancer using near-infrared absorbing
nanoshells; the development of breast cancer diagnostic
and therapeutic antibodies that recognize only
unique tumor proteins; development of techniques
for site-specific insertion and control of therapeutic
genes in human adult neural stem cells; development
of a system to track user interaction with computer
applications to monitor, and possibly mitigate,
cognitive decline in older adults; creation of
a prototype of an anonymous clearinghouse for
sensitive patient medical data that will enable
large-scale drug studies; development of a novel
wearable transdermal drug delivery system; development
of a tissue engineering strategy for rotator cuff
tendons utilizing a patient's own bone marrow
cells and a novel biomaterial; and development
of a new library-based technology platform to
select a broad array of fully human monoclonal
antibodies in mammalian cells for therapeutic
use in treating cancer, inflammation, and infectious
diseases.
In the area of healthcare informatics, Advanced
Technology Program (ATP) has funded over 50 projects
representing an investment of approximately $200
million of government funding and a comparable
amount of industry cost share.
Please visit the NIST
ATP Web site for additional information or
to download an information kit. |
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