MP-CPI-20-002 FAQs FINAL.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

MP-CPI-20-002: Demonstration to Increase Hydroxyurea Prescribing for Children with Sickle Cell Disease Through Provider Incentives

Eligibility/Application

Questions Responses Who is eligible to apply? All applicants are eligible except for private for-profit institutions of higher education and for-profit organizations (including small businesses). Eligible applicants include the U.S. territories and private, non-profit institutions of higher education. This includes:

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 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Private non-profit institutions of higher education

U.S. Territories

Are cost sharing or matching required?

You are not required to provide cost sharing or matching in your proposed budget.

What is required for the proposed budget plan?

You must complete the required budget forms and submit a budget narrative with detailed justification as part of your application which must cover all years (3) of the project period. The budget narrative consists of a detailed line-item budget that includes calculations for all costs and activities by "object class categories" identified on the SF-424A and justification of the costs.

Can we get an extension on the application deadline?

There are no current plans to extend the application deadline. Individual extensions on the application deadline will not be granted except as described in the funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

I represent a for-profit organization. If I have a non-profit partner that applies and receives the award, can I be a subrecipient?

No. OMH statutory authority limits recipients to public and non-profit entities. Subrecipients must also abide by the statutory limitation.

Who makes a determination concerning whether an entity is considered to be a subrecipient?

The HHS Uniform Administrative Requirements (UAR), 45 CFR 75.351, states that the recipient “must make case-by-case determinations whether each agreement it makes for the disbursement of Federal program funds casts the party receiving the funds in the role of a subrecipient or a contractor.” Characteristics which support the classification of the non-Federal entity as a subrecipient can be found at 45 CFR 75.351. The applicant should consult with its counsel for advice concerning the applicability of this section to its particular situation.

I’m having problems with the Grants.gov application platform.

Can you help?

For assistance, you can reach GRANTS.GOV Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726.

General Information

Is the award amount listed for 1 year or 3? The award ceiling and floor amounts are listed per budget period (12 months). The project period is for 3 years. Please note that due to timing of award issuance or other administrative factors, funding for all approved budget periods beyond the first is generally level with the initial award amount and is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, adequate stewardship of Federal funds, and the best interests of the Government.

When does the project start? Due to timing of award issuance or other administrative factors, we do not have a set date in place. The anticipated start date is September 30, 2020.

Will this opportunity happen again? This is first time that the funding opportunity announcement is being competed. At this time, it is not clear if this FOA will be competed again in the future.

Can a collaborating organization carry out a specific task as it relates to the project?

If organization X takes the lead on submitting this application, can some of the expectations be met by a collaborating partner?

Yes, however, applicants should include a signed memorandum of agreement (MOA) with all partners who will contribute substantially to this project. If the applicant is not a State Medicaid Office, the applicant is expected to secure a formal partnership with the State Medicaid Office as evidenced by a signed MOA. The MOA(s) submitted in your application must be signed by all partners and include specific roles, responsibilities, resources, and contributions of partner(s) to the project. If the applicant is unable to submit a signed MOA, the applicant should submit an unsigned MOA and signed letters of commitment (LOCs) with all partners.

Programming

What is the target population? Medicaid-eligible children with sickle cell disease (SCD)

What collaborations are required? If the applicant is not a State Medicaid Office, the applicant is expected to secure a formal partnership with the State Medicaid Office as evidenced by a signed memorandum of agreement.

Are adult sickle cell disease (SCD) providers included in this grant?

No. This initiative is designed for the three main provider types that care for children with SCD (i.e., hematologists, primary care providers, and emergency clinicians).

What are the expectations for the geographic areas to be served?

Proposals must describe, using geographic indicators and data from representative probability-based samples surveys or other representative population data, the demographic characteristics of the populations to be served by the project, including race/ethnicity, gender, income, education, immigrant populations, socio-economic status and geographic location (e.g., urban/rural ratio, large urban centers).

Evaluation

May our evaluator be internal? OMH recommends use of an external evaluator for all aspects of program evaluation. Use of an internal evaluator may be acceptable in cases in which the evaluator has sufficient independence to conduct the evaluation.

When should baseline and outcome measures be collected?

Baseline should be collected shortly after award; and then data collection should take place within 9 months of initial award on a quarterly basis.

What is a measurable outcome? A "measurable outcome" is an observable end-result that describes how a particular intervention benefits project participants. It demonstrates the "impact" of the intervention.

For example, increasing hydroxyurea prescription rates and the potential impact on usage rates among children with SCD.

What measures must be included? Applicants should propose an evaluation plan that, at a minimum, will assess the impact of the incentive payment system(s) on hydroxyurea prescribing and emergency department utilization among children with SCD (i.e., pre-and post-intervention hydroxyurea prescribing rates and emergency department visits for both control and intervention populations prescribing and emergency department utilization among children with SCD). Applicants are encouraged consider data for other downstream outcomes measures (e.g., hospitalizations, overall healthcare costs) in addition to emergency department visits.

How should evaluation findings be disseminated?

OMH expects that nationwide dissemination of products and knowledge will occur.

Specifically, findings shall be disseminated to State Medicaid Offices, the population served, the general public, and other parties who might be interested in using the results of the project.

What research design must I use? The applicant should propose an evaluation design that will clearly establish whether hydroxyurea quality measure-based incentive payments result in statistically significant increases in hydroxyurea prescriptions. A power analysis, or other technique to establish/demonstrate statistical significance, should also be included.

Grants Management

Which DUNS number needs to be provided?

If I am partnering with another organization would I use that organization's DUNS number?

As the applicant for an award, you are required to provide your Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal awards through Grants.gov.

Should you successfully compete and receive an award, all first-tier sub-award recipients must have a DUNS number at the time you, the recipient, makes a sub-award.

Can you provide more information regarding the waiver of DUNS numbers and SAMS registration?

HHS has implemented OMB Memoranda M-20-11 and M-20-17 allowing flexibility with respect to SAM registrations. DUNS numbers have not been waived. If you do not have a DUNS number, a temporary number may be received as described in the FOA on page 5. Grants.gov is currently not requiring an active SAM.gov registration at the time of submission; however this is subject to change. Applicants are encouraged to begin the process of applying for a new registration or renewing their registration as soon as possible. A valid registration may be required at the time of award if an application is recommended.

Is IRB approval required? Recipients must comply with all HHS regulations, including those governing protection of human subjects. You may find more information online at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.html. To the extent the HHS regulation governing protection of human subjects applies, IRB approval is required prior to beginning any work with human subjects (Subpart A of 45 CFR Part 46).

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.html