QIDS Innovation Fund – notice of intent to apply due by Dec. 6

Submission Process and Guidelines Funds available: Approx. $95,000. It is anticipated that three to five projects will be supported.   Target: AFHTO member led projects that align with the goals of the QIDS strategy.  Funding can be used for new initiatives or to expand the scope of existing projects.   General Principles: AFHTO is very pleased that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has enabled this opportunity to use provincial QIDS program funding to create value for all of its members. Transparency, equity of access, accountability and value for money are paramount concerns as this initiative relies on public funds allocated for which the AFHTO Board is ultimately accountable. This initiative is intended serve as a catalyst for system capacity building. All members, regardless of their current QI and EMR sophistication or prior involvement in QIDS are encouraged to consider applying or partnering on applications. Although the funding is only available on a one-time basis, preference will be given to projects which promise to create enduring capacity in FHTs. This might be indicated by:

• Strengthened partnerships, collaboration and sharing.
• Spread of tools and capability (across organizations,  geography and EMR types).
• Systematic barrier identification and removal.
• The resulting availability of accessible, non-proprietary tools.
• Potential for local cash and in-kind contributions or leverage of other funding sources.
• Potential to build capacity through strategic partnerships with non-FHT actors.

Eligibility criteria: To be considered for funding, projects must demonstrate their ability to accelerate progress in one or more of the following QIDS priority areas:

• Strengthening QIDS program learning and evaluation capacity
• Identification and spread of promising data management tools and techniques
• Development decision support networks and communities of practice
• Implementation of quality and performance measurement frameworks consistent with AFHTO’s Performance-Oriented Model for Primary Care (based on Starfield) for comprehensive primary care  and/or HQO’s emerging primary care performance measurement framework.  This could include enabling multi-practice baseline analysis and comparability on a sub-set of measures that are local team priorities
• Reducing the cycle (lag) time for analytical data sets
• Validation and documentation of existing data sources and strategies to encourage more rapid uptake
• Accelerate implementation of multi-practice and/or system level performance measurement and feedback
• Common approaches to QIP priorities including patient experience surveys
• Clinician engagement
• Identifying opportunities for patient and public input
• Potential for non-proprietary  re-use of technical solutions (queries, API, ETL, data scrubbing, SNOMED conversion)

Terms: To be considered, projects need to be fully underway by the end of January, 2014. Projects, or at least the AFHTO funded portions thereof, will need to achieve substantial completion by March 31, 2014. Brief mid-point and closeout narrative reports will be required. Proponents will agree to contribute to QIDS knowledge exchange events and products to the extent practical. Funding amounts and eligible project costs will be determined at AFHTO’s sole discretion. Proponents and AFHTO will enter in to a formal letter of agreement to enable funding.   Application process: The process described below is designed to create the most open opportunity possible for all members while moving very quickly to meet the need to achieve completion within the fiscal year. AFHTO is committed to fairness and transparency. Suggestions to improve this process are most welcome. Step 1. Intent to apply: It is very important to let AFHTO know if you intend to submit a proposal or have a promising project idea and need partners.  A target date of December 16 has been set for submissions. Teams considering applying are requested to send a brief email to Tim Burns (tim.burns@afhto.ca) by December 6, 2013 indicating their intent to apply.  The e-mail should include:

• A very brief project synopsis
• The players involved (including any to be invited)
• Readiness to start (noting if the proposal is for a new initiative or the expansion to a project already under way)
• A rough (+/-25%) estimate of the support likely to be requested from the AFHTO QIDS fund
• Concerns, if any, regarding a December 16^th target date for submissions (see below)

Based on this information, AFHTO and the selection committee will finalize the submission date (as close to the December 16^th target date as possible) and communicate this to all who intend to apply. AFHTO may also facilitate joint proposals if projects are similar and proponents are agreeable. Step 2. Project description submissions: Remember, this is all about streamlining. Submissions should be no more than 2-3 pages in length at most! Suggested content:

1. Project description including the innovation opportunity and potential benefits
2. QIDS priority(ies) being addressed
3. Summary of deliverables and timing
4. Project partners and organization
5. Potential for sharing and collaboration beyond current partners if any
6. Progress reporting and evaluation plan
7. Knowledge sharing and dissemination
8. Role, if any, envisaged for the provincial QIDS team
9. Overall budget and where financial support from the AFHTO QIDS fund is required
10. Conflict of interest declarations if applicable
11. (optional) appendices or links to additional information

Selection process: The review committee will rank all proposals received by December 16 (assuming this date is confirmed through the intent to apply process). Proponents may be requested to participate in a teleconference call to discuss their ideas and address questions from the selection committee. Once the proposals are ranked, up to $30,000 per proposal will be allocated in rank order until all available funding is committed. (It is possible that proposals will get either more or less funding than applied for based on the budget review and given the goal of providing meaningful support to as many projects as possible). Successful proponents will be notified within one week of submission of a final budget allocation so that projects can be initiated as soon as possible.