Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 15 003

  • The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Clinical Decision Support Learning Network (U18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226 Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Jul 9, 2015 and posted on Jul 9, 2015.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 13, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • The funding agency has allocated a total of $500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
  • Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: City or township governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) County governments Special district governments For profit organizations other than small businesses State governments Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).
  • Other Eligible Applicants include the following Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs) Hispanic serving Institutions Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) Non domestic (non U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non domestic (non U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Apply for RFA HS 15 003

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Opportunity Summary:

The AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Clinical Decision Support Learning Network (U18) funding opportunity (RFA HS 15 003) was a competitive federal grant designed to stand up a single national "learning network" focused on getting patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) evidence into everyday clinical care by way of clinical decision support (CDS). In practical terms, the project was meant to bring together the people and organizations who generate evidence, translate it into usable guidance, implement it inside health IT systems and clinical workflows, and then learn from real-world deployment so that future PCOR-to-CDS efforts become faster, more consistent, and more impactful. The emphasis is not just on producing research or publishing results, but on dissemination and implementation: taking findings that matter to patients and clinicians and embedding them into decision support tools that influence point-of-care decisions.

The award mechanism was a cooperative agreement (U18), which generally signals that AHRQ expected substantial involvement during the project period rather than a hands-off relationship. The program anticipated making one award, with an estimated total funding amount of $500,000 and an award ceiling of $500,000. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, lowering the barrier for applicants who might otherwise struggle to commit non-federal funds. The opportunity fell under the Health activity category and was tied to CFDA 93.226, Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes, which aligns with AHRQ's core mission of improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care delivery.

At a high level, the learning network concept implies an organized, ongoing collaboration rather than a one-time project deliverable. The funded network was expected to engage stakeholders broadly, which typically includes clinicians, health systems, patients and caregivers, professional societies, EHR and CDS developers, researchers, and policy or standards organizations. The goal of this stakeholder engagement was to improve how PCOR findings are selected for CDS, how they are translated into computable and workflow-friendly formats, and how they are implemented and evaluated in real clinical environments. By focusing on CDS as the vehicle for implementation, the FOA centers the idea that evidence has the most value when it is delivered in a timely, actionable way during clinical decision-making, not just stored in guidelines or articles.

The timeline reflects a standard federal grant cycle for that period: the FOA was posted July 9, 2015, with an application deadline (original and current closing date) of November 13, 2015, and an archive date of December 14, 2015. Because it is archived, it is not an active competition now, but it remains a useful reference for understanding AHRQ's expectations for PCOR dissemination through CDS and for anticipating the shape of similar future opportunities.

Eligibility was broad across the U.S. public and private sectors, covering state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) as well as tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. Academic eligibility included both public/state controlled and private institutions of higher education, and the FOA explicitly referenced common categories of minority-serving institutions such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities. It also allowed for-profit organizations other than small businesses, which is notable because CDS development and implementation often involves private-sector health IT vendors and implementation partners. Foreign institutions were not eligible, and non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also not eligible, reinforcing that the work was intended to be domestically centered in U.S. health care contexts.

From an operational perspective, an applicant responding to this FOA would have needed to propose how the network would function as a hub for learning and dissemination: how it would gather and prioritize PCOR findings suitable for CDS, how it would support translation into implementable decision support artifacts, how it would coordinate implementation partners, and how it would capture feedback and outcomes from deployment to continuously improve methods. Even though the brief description does not list specific required products, a learning network structure typically implies shared resources such as best-practice playbooks, implementation guides, stakeholder convenings, and mechanisms for spreading lessons learned across sites and organizations. The FOA's repeated emphasis on dissemination and implementation through CDS makes clear that success would be judged by meaningful incorporation of PCOR into practice, not merely by network formation.

The sponsoring agency was the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the full announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide infrastructure, with support contacts pointing to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues. The official information link provided was: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa_files/RFA-HS-15-003.html.

FAQs: AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Clinical Decision Support Learning Network (U18) - RFA HS-15-003

What is this funding opportunity?

This was a competitive federal grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to establish a single national "learning network" focused on moving patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) evidence into everyday clinical care using clinical decision support (CDS).

What was the main goal of the learning network?

The goal was to make PCOR evidence usable at the point of care by translating research findings into CDS tools that fit clinical workflows and health IT systems, and then learning from real-world implementation so future PCOR-to-CDS work becomes faster, more consistent, and more impactful.

What does PCOR mean in this context?

PCOR refers to patient-centered outcomes research evidence, meaning findings that matter to patients and clinicians and can inform real clinical decisions. In this opportunity, the emphasis was on getting that evidence into practice through CDS rather than leaving it only in publications or guidelines.

What does CDS mean in this context?

CDS refers to clinical decision support tools that influence point-of-care decisions by delivering timely, actionable evidence during clinical decision-making, typically within clinical workflows and health IT systems (for example, EHR-integrated decision support).

What made this opportunity different from a traditional research grant?

The stated emphasis was on dissemination and implementation, not just producing research or publishing results. Success was framed around meaningful incorporation of PCOR evidence into clinical practice through CDS and learning from deployment.

What type of award mechanism was used?

The mechanism was a cooperative agreement (U18), which generally indicates AHRQ expected substantial involvement during the project period rather than a hands-off relationship.

How many awards were expected?

The program anticipated making one award, meaning it was designed to stand up a single national learning network.

How much funding was available?

The estimated total funding amount was $500,000, and the award ceiling was also $500,000.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What was the activity category and CFDA number?

The opportunity fell under the Health activity category and was tied to CFDA 93.226, Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes.

How did this opportunity align with AHRQ's mission?

It aligned with AHRQ's focus on improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care delivery by accelerating how evidence is implemented in real care settings through CDS.

Who was expected to participate in the learning network?

The network was expected to engage stakeholders broadly. The description specifically points to groups that typically include clinicians, health systems, patients and caregivers, professional societies, EHR and CDS developers, researchers, and policy or standards organizations.

What kinds of work was the network expected to do?

Applicants would have needed to propose how the network would function as a hub for learning and dissemination, including how it would gather and prioritize PCOR findings suitable for CDS, translate evidence into implementable decision support artifacts, coordinate implementation partners, and capture feedback and outcomes from deployment to continuously improve methods.

Did the opportunity require specific deliverables?

The provided summary does not list specific required products. However, it notes that a learning network typically implies shared resources such as best-practice playbooks, implementation guides, stakeholder convenings, and mechanisms for spreading lessons learned across sites and organizations.

What does "learning network" imply for the structure of the project?

It implies an organized, ongoing collaboration rather than a one-time deliverable. The purpose was to create an ongoing hub for stakeholder engagement, dissemination, implementation support, and continuous learning from real-world CDS deployment.

Why was CDS chosen as the main vehicle for implementation?

The opportunity centers the idea that evidence has the most value when it is delivered in a timely, actionable way during clinical decision-making, rather than only being stored in guidelines or journal articles.

When was the FOA posted and when were applications due?

The FOA was posted on July 9, 2015. The application deadline (original and current closing date) was November 13, 2015.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. The announcement is archived. The archive date listed was December 14, 2015, so it is not an active competition now.

Why might an archived FOA still be useful?

Even though it is not currently open, it can be used as a reference for understanding AHRQ's expectations for disseminating PCOR through CDS and for anticipating what similar future opportunities could look like.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was broad across U.S. public and private sectors. It included state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized.

Were colleges and universities eligible?

Yes. Both public/state controlled and private institutions of higher education were eligible.

Were minority-serving institutions included in the eligibility language?

Yes. The eligibility language explicitly referenced common categories of minority-serving institutions, including HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISIs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, and tribally controlled colleges and universities.

Could for-profit organizations apply?

Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses were eligible, which is notable given the role private-sector health IT vendors and implementation partners often play in CDS development and deployment.

Were foreign institutions eligible?

No. Foreign institutions were not eligible.

Could a U.S. organization include non-U.S. components?

No. Non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations were also not eligible, reinforcing that the work was intended to be centered in U.S. health care contexts.

What agency sponsored the opportunity?

The sponsoring agency was the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Where was the official announcement posted?

The full announcement was hosted through the NIH grants guide infrastructure. The official information link provided was http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa_files/RFA-HS-15-003.html.

Who was listed for support contacts?

Support contacts pointed to the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER) webmaster for access or linking issues.

What is the identifying number or title for this FOA?

It was titled the AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Clinical Decision Support Learning Network (U18) and referenced as RFA HS 15 003 (commonly written as RFA-HS-15-003).

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