CRICO Risk Management Grant Program 2016 RFA Announcement

Advance patient safety in your practice.

Boston, MA, August 9, 2016—CRICO, a recognized leader in evidence-based risk management, owned by and serving the Harvard medical community, is pleased to announce a Request for Applications (RFA) to advance our commitment to patient safety. This RFA is designed to support identification, evaluation, and implementation of patient safety solutions aligned with identified areas of malpractice risk. Priority will be given to proposals that are original, evidence-based, aimed at improving patient safety and reducing malpractice risk, and designed for operational sustainability within the investigator’s organization. This includes proposals that:

1. Examine specific domains of malpractice risk and patient harm while assessing the factors at various levels that contribute to such risks.

2. Investigate strategic interventions at individual, systems, and organizational levels to help reduce and eliminate specific patient harm and malpractice risk.

3. Disseminate proven solutions to reduce malpractice risk. It is anticipated that knowledge gained from these projects will positively affect care delivery and promote risk reduction.
   
   

Focus Areas

Applications must also match one of the specified focus areas. Please note in your Letter of Intent which area you plan to address and which type of grant (i.e., a, b, or c from above) best defines your proposal’s intent:

• Ambulatory Safety: We are particularly interested in the extension of proven patient safety interventions and the development of novel approaches to improve safety in the ambulatory environment. Examples include the application of crisis resource management principles, lean principles and standard workflows, universal protocols, and HIT solutions to ensure closed loop processes for test results and referrals. We also welcome proposals that identify innovative approaches to improve team function in ambulatory clinics, physician offices, and ambulatory procedure areas.

• Nursing: We are interested in proposals that identify interventions aimed at improving patient assessment and patient monitoring to prevent unrecognized and delayed responses to clinical deterioration, often referred to as “failure to rescue” events. Proposals that identify models for improving care coordination among team members across the continuum of care (inpatient-outpatient, ED-inpatient, etc.) are also strongly encouraged. Organizational Culture: We are interested in proposals that aim to mitigate adverse events through the adoption and spread of programs directed at improving organizational culture and sustaining “just culture” environments. Proposals should include metrics for evaluating effects of such programs and an organization’s plans for long-term sustainability.

• Communication: Analysis of our malpractice data has identified communication failures as a specific area of vulnerability in health care delivery. We are therefore seeking proposals that focus on the development of structured communication pathways, particularly during transitions in care (Ambulatory-Inpatient; ED-Inpatient Unit, Inpatient-PCP, PCP-Specialist) to improve breakdowns in provider-to-provider communication.

• Diagnosis: We are interested in proposals that focus on the development of cognitive aids and patient engagement strategies to mitigate risks associated with missed and delayed diagnosis.

The RFA is offered to CRICO-insured members at all levels of experience. Partnerships across CRICO-insured organizations are encouraged. Submissions that contain designs to further impact enterprise risk and emerging patient safety issues are also encouraged.

RFA Timeline

August 9, 2016 RFA announcement
September 23, 2016 Deadline for Letter of Intent
October 7, 2016 Invitations for full applications
November 18, 2016 Deadline for full applications
March 2017 Final proposals for Board Approval
April 2017 Notice of Grant Award

Project Duration and Funding

Support will be provided for no more than two years, with a total budget not to exceed $200,000 per award. CRICO principal investigators must agree to dedicate at least five percent annualized effort to approved projects during the grant cycle. All research is to be conducted at CRICO member health care organizations, with written notification from these organizations acknowledging their support and approval. Applicants with proposals requiring greater than $200,000 to meet the project’s aims will need to demonstrate proof of co-funding.

Letters of Intent will be reviewed to determine alignment with CRICO's mission and targeted areas of funding interest. Proposals deemed most congruent with CRICO's objectives will be invited to submit a full-length, detailed proposal for peer review. Institutional subject matter experts within each target area will serve as reviewers. Final proposals selected by the review committee will be submitted to the CRICO Board of Directors in March 2017 for funding consideration and approval.

For More Information

If you have any questions regarding this announcement or requirements for the letter of intent, please refer to our website or contact Jay Boulanger, Program Manager, at 617.450.5581 or Rachael Barzey, Grants Administrator, at 617.450.5517. The grants team can also be reached by email.