The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), a $787 billion stimulus package enacted to accelerate the nation’s economic recovery, provides many funding opportunities. The following information was compiled to provide basic background on ARRA funding in the areas of medical education and research, as well as the links necessary to research further how your organization can take advantage of these opportunities.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
$8.2 billion was allocated to the NIH. There are many types of grant opportunities available through the NIH, especially for ready-to-go projects. Anyone interested in applying for these grants should visit the link below for more information. Specifically, the NIH announced a new “Grand Opportunities” grant program, which includes $200 million for new large-scale research projects with specific biomedical and bio-behavioral research endeavors. Various funding opportunities already announced include challenge grants, research and research infrastructure, biomedical research core centers to enhance research resources, competitive revisions and administrative supplements, heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorders, construction/renovation, and instrumentation. http://grants.nih.gov/recovery
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
$1.3 billion has been provided for the NCRR with $1 billion for competitive awards for the construction and renovation of extramural research facilities and $300 million for shared instrumentation and other capital equipment. More information regarding this funding can be found at the link below for general information http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/the_american_recovery_and_reinvestment_act/#funding or directly at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RR-09-008.html
National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
$300 million was allocated for the NHSC, which is planning on using the funds to double the current number of participants. This equates to a goal of recruiting 4,200 primary care clinicians overall. Recruitment will be accomplished through a mix of existing loan repayment program and scholarship program opportunities given in exchange for service commitments in health professional shortage areas. For information on how graduates can apply for these programs, please visit http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/index.asp
Other Primary Care Allocations
In addition to the $300 million allocated to the NHSC, $200 million has been allocated to address primary care workforce needs through Title VII health professions workforce grants, Title VIII nurse workforce grants, and similar programs. Though details have not yet been disclosed, you can follow general developments regarding this ARRA funding at http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/programs/index.html and news releases at http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/announcements/index.html.
Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER)
The ARRA includes an appropriation of $1.1 billion toward CER, which is to be administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the NIH, and the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). $700 million will go to AHRQ and NIH, and $400 million will go to the Office of the Secretary of HHS. According to an American Medical Association report, it is to “be used to conduct or support research to evaluate and compare clinical outcomes, effectiveness, risk, and benefits of two or more medical treatments and services that address a particular medical condition.” Clinical outcome-based research is to be emphasized over cost analysis-driven research. Within the ARRA is specific language that states the advisory council established by the CER provisions will have no authority to mandate coverage, reimbursement, or other policies for any public or private payer. You can follow AHRQ’s plans at the following website. http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/cefarra.htm
Health Information Technology
Though no information is currently available regarding health professionals curricula development grants for the integration of electronic health record technology provided for under the ARRA, the quote below, from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s summary of the bill, is for your information and to alert you to possible future opportunities:
“The Secretary also may award competitive grants for the development of academic curricula integrating certified EHR technology in the clinical education of health professionals. Entities eligible for such grants include schools of or institutions with graduate medical education programs in medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, graduate programs in behavioral or mental health, or any graduate health professions schools.
Consideration for such grants requires the submission of an application and strategic plan for the integration of certified EHR technology in the clinical education of health professionals. Such grants must be used in collaboration with two or more disciplines and used to integrate certified EHR technology into community-based clinical education. These grants may not be used, however, to purchase hardware, software or services. In general, the grants may not cover more than 50 percent of the costs of any activity for which assistance is provided.”
Other Resources for ARRA Information
http://www.recovery.gov - The United States government’s official website regarding the ARRA.
http://www.hhs.gov/recovery - HHS’ official website regarding the ARRA.
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/recovery.jsp - A listing of links to all federal agencies’ ARRA-related websites.
http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/state-recovery-page - A link to all states that have established their own recovery websites.
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/legislation-advocacy/current-topics-advocacy/hr1-stimulus-summary.shtml - An excellent summary produced by the American Medical Association that provides information on how this bill will affect healthcare.