Implementation and Evaluation of New Health Information Technology (IT) Strategies for Collecting and Using Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Measures (U18) | PA 17 247

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 247

The grant opportunity titled Implementation and Evaluation of New Health Information Technology (IT) Strategies for Collecting and Using Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Measures (U18) is a discretionary funding program from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ). Issued as Funding Opportunity Announcement PA 17-247, it supports cooperative agreement projects (U18), meaning awardees should expect substantial involvement from the funding agency during the project. The overall aim is to push forward practical, real-world research that tests innovative and collaborative approaches for collecting patient-reported outcome measures and then using those measures in care delivery, with an emphasis on primary care and other outpatient or ambulatory care environments.

At the core of the FOA is the idea that PRO measures are most useful when they can be captured efficiently, integrated into clinical workflows, and turned into actionable information for clinicians, care teams, and patients. The announcement encourages applicants to use new or emerging health IT strategies to improve how PROs are gathered (for example, through digital tools and modern data-collection methods) and how the resulting information is applied in routine care. The intention is not only to measure outcomes, but to make those patient-reported data more usable for clinical decision-making, follow-up, quality improvement, and potentially broader system learning in outpatient settings.

The program is designed to stimulate innovation and collaboration, which signals that AHRQ is looking for projects that bring together multiple stakeholders and disciplines, such as clinicians, informaticians, researchers, health system leaders, and possibly community partners. Because the focus is on implementation and evaluation, strong applications would typically be expected to move beyond theory and demonstrate how a health IT-enabled PRO approach works in practice, including barriers, facilitators, workflow fit, data quality, usability, and the impact of using PRO data on care processes or patient-centered outcomes in ambulatory settings.

Eligibility is broad and explicitly includes many types of domestic applicants. Eligible applicants listed in the opportunity include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and individuals, with an overall designation of unrestricted eligibility. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); faith-based or community-based organizations; Hispanic-serving institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized; regional organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); eligible agencies of the federal government; and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA places clear limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components may still participate in a limited way: they can be involved as part of a consortium or as subcontractors, consistent with the HHS Grants Policy Statement definition of foreign components. In other words, the applicant organization must be domestic and lead the project, but certain international partners may contribute under subcontract or consortium arrangements when appropriate and allowable.

Administratively, the opportunity is categorized under the health activity area and is associated with CFDA number 93.226. The FOA was created on April 3, 2017, and the original closing date listed is September 26, 2020. The award ceiling shown is $400,000, indicating the maximum funding level anticipated per award under the terms presented. The listing notes “ExpectedAwards:” without a number, which suggests the number of awards may have varied by available funds and application quality or may not have been specified in the excerpt provided.

In practical terms, this FOA is geared toward organizations that can design, implement, and rigorously evaluate health IT approaches that make PRO collection and use more feasible and meaningful in everyday outpatient care. It is especially relevant to health systems, academic or clinical research groups, primary care networks, and community-based organizations that can demonstrate access to ambulatory care settings, the technical and operational ability to deploy PRO-related technology, and an evaluation plan that shows what changes when PRO data are collected and used in more advanced, integrated, or patient-centered ways.

• The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Implementation and Evaluation of New Health Information Technology (IT) Strategies for Collecting and Using Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Measures (U18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-09-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others, Unrestricted.

Apply for PA 17 247

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: