Opportunity Information: Apply for FOA OC HIT 10 002
Apply for FOA OC HIT 10 002
- The Office of the National Coordinator in the health recovery act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Information Technology Professionals in Health Care Competency Examination for Individuals" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.721 ARRA Health Information Technology Professionals in Health Care.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 17, 2009 and posted on Dec 17, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 25, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Domestic institutions of higher education, or consortia thereof, are eligible to apply for the award under this funding opportunity.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Information Technology Professionals in Health Care Competency Examination for Individuals" (Funding Opportunity Number FOA OC HIT 10 002) was issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) under the Health Information Technology Professionals in Health Care program (CFDA 93.721). It was designed to fund the creation and initial rollout of standardized competency examinations for the health IT workforce, with the larger goal of strengthening the pipeline of qualified workers needed to support electronic health records and the broader national push toward "meaningful use" of electronic health information.
At its core, the opportunity focused on building an objective, credible way to measure basic competency for people entering or advancing in health IT roles. The intended examinees included individuals trained through short-duration, non-degree health IT programs, as well as existing workers who may have gained relevant skills through on-the-job experience, alternative training programs, or other educational pathways. Rather than relying only on course completion or informal employer screening, the exams would provide a consistent method for individuals to demonstrate that they can perform in one or more defined workforce roles laid out in Appendix B (Health IT Workforce Roles and Competencies). In practical terms, the examinations were meant to function as a skills-verification tool aligned to real job expectations, helping translate training and experience into an assessable credential-like signal.
The work funded under this cooperative agreement included developing the exam framework, creating test items, and conducting initial administration. A key feature of the approach was that faculty experts from community colleges and universities involved in health IT curriculum and program development would supply the domain expertise needed to shape exam content and write high-quality questions. At the same time, ONC emphasized that the exam content could not be developed in an academic bubble. As part of the development process, the awardee was expected to validate the examinations with external stakeholders, including industry and employer groups, so that the competencies being assessed matched what healthcare organizations and health IT employers actually needed in practice.
The expected benefits were aimed at multiple audiences. For educational institutions, having access to a vetted set of competency exams would make it easier to evaluate whether their programs were producing graduates with the expected knowledge and skills, identify gaps in instruction, and continuously improve curricula. For individuals, the exams would offer a way to benchmark their own competency levels and show employers that they meet baseline standards for specific health IT roles. For employers and healthcare organizations, the exams were positioned as a workforce tool that could help assess current staff capabilities, reveal training gaps, guide targeted upskilling plans, and support hiring and workforce planning decisions tied to implementing and effectively using electronic health information systems.
In terms of funding and structure, ONC planned to make one award under a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning the government would likely remain actively involved in guiding and overseeing the project compared to a more hands-off grant. The estimated total funding was $6,000,000, with an award ceiling of $6,000,000 and no required cost sharing or matching. The opportunity was posted on December 17, 2009, and closed on January 25, 2010, with an archive date of February 24, 2010.
Eligibility was limited to domestic institutions of higher education or consortia of such institutions. This requirement fit the program design, since universities and community colleges were expected to play a central role in establishing the competency domains, building exam blueprints, and producing the assessment materials in coordination with stakeholders. Administrative contact support for the announcement was provided through ONC, with Michelle Murray listed as the project officer for the HIT Workforce Competency Examination Program.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the full title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Information Technology Professionals in Health Care Competency Examination for Individuals."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA) for this announcement?
The Funding Opportunity Number is FOA OC HIT 10 002.
Which federal office issued this funding opportunity?
It was issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
What program is this funding opportunity associated with?
The announcement falls under the Health Information Technology Professionals in Health Care program.
What is the CFDA number referenced for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 93.721.
What was the main purpose of this grant?
The central purpose was to fund the creation and initial rollout of standardized competency examinations for the health IT workforce, to help strengthen the pipeline of qualified workers supporting electronic health records and the national push toward "meaningful use" of electronic health information.
What problem was the grant trying to address?
The opportunity aimed to create an objective, credible way to measure basic competency for people entering or advancing in health IT roles, rather than relying only on course completion or informal employer screening.
Who were the intended examinees for the competency examinations?
The exams were intended for individuals trained through short-duration, non-degree health IT programs, as well as existing workers who gained skills through on-the-job experience, alternative training programs, or other educational pathways.
What were the exams intended to demonstrate for individuals?
The exams were designed to provide a consistent method for individuals to demonstrate they can perform in one or more defined health IT workforce roles and to serve as a skills-verification tool aligned to real job expectations.
How were the targeted workforce roles and competencies defined?
The roles and competencies were tied to the workforce roles laid out in Appendix B (Health IT Workforce Roles and Competencies).
What activities were expected to be funded under this cooperative agreement?
The funded work included developing the exam framework, creating test items, and conducting initial administration of the competency examinations.
Who was expected to contribute subject-matter expertise to develop exam content?
Faculty experts from community colleges and universities involved in health IT curriculum and program development were expected to supply domain expertise to shape exam content and write high-quality questions.
Did ONC expect the exam content to be developed solely by academic institutions?
No. ONC emphasized that exam content should not be developed in an academic bubble. The awardee was expected to validate the examinations with external stakeholders, including industry and employer groups, to ensure alignment with real-world needs.
Why was stakeholder validation (industry and employers) part of the process?
Stakeholder validation was intended to help ensure that the competencies being assessed matched what healthcare organizations and health IT employers actually needed in practice.
How were educational institutions expected to benefit from these exams?
The exams were positioned as a vetted tool to help institutions evaluate whether their programs produced graduates with expected knowledge and skills, identify instructional gaps, and support continuous curriculum improvement.
How were individual workers or job seekers expected to benefit?
Individuals could use the exams to benchmark their competency levels and provide employers with a credible signal that they meet baseline standards for specific health IT roles.
How were employers and healthcare organizations expected to use the exams?
Employers could use the exams to assess staff capabilities, identify training gaps, guide targeted upskilling, and support hiring and workforce planning related to implementing and effectively using electronic health information systems.
What type of award mechanism was planned?
ONC planned to make one award under a cooperative agreement mechanism.
What does it mean that the award was a cooperative agreement?
Based on the announcement description, a cooperative agreement implies the government would likely remain actively involved in guiding and overseeing the project compared to a more hands-off grant.
How many awards did ONC plan to make?
ONC planned to make one award.
What was the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding was $6,000,000.
What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling was $6,000,000.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The announcement stated there was no required cost sharing or matching.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to domestic institutions of higher education or consortia of such institutions.
Why was eligibility limited to institutions of higher education or consortia?
This fit the program design because universities and community colleges were expected to play a central role in establishing competency domains, building exam blueprints, and producing assessment materials in coordination with stakeholders.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on December 17, 2009.
When did the application period close?
The opportunity closed on January 25, 2010.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date was February 24, 2010.
Who was listed as the project officer or key contact for this announcement?
Michelle Murray was listed as the project officer for the HIT Workforce Competency Examination Program.
What larger national initiative did this funding support?
The work was framed as supporting electronic health records and the broader national push toward "meaningful use" of electronic health information.
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