Reduction of Hemolysis in Specimens from Patients in Emergency Departments Evaluation of Laboratory Medicine Best Practices and Recommendations | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is a CDC funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA OE15-1503) that supports a quality-improvement focused evaluation of evidence-based laboratory practices intended to reduce hemolysis in blood specimens collected from patients in emergency departments.

2) What problem is the project trying to address?

The project targets hemolysis, which is the breakdown of red blood cells in a blood sample. Hemolysis is a common pre-analytical issue that can invalidate or distort test results, lead to repeat blood draws, delay clinical decisions, increase costs, and increase patient discomfort.

3) What is the main goal of the grant?

The central goal is to rigorously assess how much real-world improvement occurs when emergency department and laboratory teams implement the CDC Laboratory Medicine Best Practices (LMBP) recommendations for reducing hemolysis, and to measure and report performance outcomes tied to that implementation.

4) Is this grant meant to create new guidelines or recommendations?

No. The announcement emphasizes that the purpose is not to create new guidelines from scratch. The CDC already developed best practice recommendations through a systematic evidence review and the LMBP A6 method. This funding supports implementation and evaluation of those existing recommendations in operational healthcare settings.

5) What type of work is being funded (research vs. quality improvement)?

The described work is an implementation-and-evaluation study that is limited to quality improvement tied to healthcare delivery, along with measurement and reporting of performance data. The framing signals a practical, operations-oriented approach rather than a basic research project.

6) What are the CDC LMBP recommendations referenced in the opportunity?

The opportunity references CDC Laboratory Medicine Best Practices (LMBP) recommendations that were previously developed through a systematic evidence review and the LMBP A6 method. This grant funds evaluation of outcomes after those recommendations are implemented in emergency department specimen collection workflows.

7) Where would implementation take place?

Implementation is intended for real-world healthcare settings, specifically involving emergency departments and their associated laboratory operations where blood specimens are collected and processed.

8) Can the project include multiple hospitals or institutions?

Yes. The opportunity notes the project can be carried out across multiple institutions, such as several hospitals within a single healthcare system, or multiple diverse sites. This is important because hemolysis rates and workflows can vary across community emergency departments and large academic medical centers.

9) Why does the opportunity emphasize multiple and diverse sites?

The announcement highlights that hemolysis rates and blood collection workflows can vary widely between different types of emergency departments (for example, busy community settings versus large academic medical centers). Evaluating implementation across diverse sites supports more informative measurement of improvement under varying operational conditions.

10) What is the award mechanism?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement. This generally means the CDC would have substantial involvement during the project period, such as collaborating on evaluation design, measures, reporting approaches, and dissemination expectations, rather than providing funds with minimal federal interaction.

11) What is the CFDA number and program category?

The opportunity falls under CFDA 93.064, titled Laboratory Training, Evaluation, and Quality Assurance Programs. The funding activity category is health.

12) How much funding is available?

The estimated total funding for the program is $600,000.

13) How many awards does CDC expect to make?

The CDC expected to make two awards under this opportunity.

14) What is the anticipated award size per recipient?

Individual awards were anticipated to range from $200,000 to $300,000 (award floor to ceiling).

15) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

16) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad across public entities and nonprofit organizations, including state and local governments, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, independent school districts, and nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) entities).

17) Is there any special capability requirement beyond general eligibility?

Yes. The CDC specifies that applicants must have experience administering and evaluating standardized quality assurance programs across multiple, diverse laboratory sites, explicitly including community hospitals and academic medical centers.

18) Why is experience with standardized quality assurance across diverse sites important?

The project depends on consistent data collection and comparable definitions and metrics across sites. It also requires managing variation in workflows while still producing interpretable results. The capability requirement aligns with the need to implement and evaluate hemolysis-reduction practices at scale.

19) What kinds of activities would a strong project typically include?

Based on the announcement description, a strong project would typically: establish baseline hemolysis rates in emergency department specimens; implement the LMBP-recommended practices in a structured way across participating sites; and track changes over time using standardized measures.

20) What does the evaluation emphasis seem to be?

The evaluation would likely emphasize consistent definitions of hemolysis and rejected specimens, clear data collection procedures, comparable time windows before and after implementation, and reporting that allows CDC and participating institutions to judge effectiveness and feasibility in real clinical environments.

21) What is the statutory authority for this opportunity?

The statutory authority cited is the Public Health Service Act, Section 317(k)(2), 42 U.S.C. 247b(k)(2).

22) When was this opportunity posted and when were applications due?

The posting date was March 13, 2015. Applications were due May 12, 2015 by 11:59 p.m. ET.

23) When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date listed is June 11, 2015.

24) Which agency is offering this funding?

The agency is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

25) Who is listed as a contact for access issues?

The contact for access issues is Paramjit Sandhu (hkx9@cdc.gov) through Grants Policy.

26) What does the announcement imply about reporting and dissemination?

Because it is a cooperative agreement with substantial CDC involvement, the description suggests collaboration on reporting approaches and dissemination expectations as part of the project period.

27) What kind of performance data is the project expected to produce?

The opportunity stresses measurement and reporting of performance data tied to healthcare delivery quality improvement. It specifically frames outcomes around changes in hemolysis and related specimen quality measures after implementing the LMBP recommendations.

28) Does the opportunity specify the setting where specimens are collected?

Yes. The focus is on blood specimens collected from patients in emergency departments, where collection conditions and workflows can be challenging and variable.