Saturday, December 15, 2012

Telehealth Grant Opportunity Posted

HRSA is soliciting applications for their “Telehealth Network Grant Program” (TNGP) to help telehealth programs and networks improve access to quality healthcare services in rural, frontier, and underserved communities.

HRSA is looking for grant responses with innovative applications that meet new and emerging needs in a changing healthcare delivery system focusing on value and improved healthcare outcomes.

Even though grant activities must serve rural communities, the grantee may be located in either urban or rural areas. In addition, all applicants are required to identify the areas of telehealth that will be the focus of the project.

TNGPs may provide services in any variety of settings including long-term care facilities, community health centers or clinics, physician offices, hospitals, schools, and assisted living facilities to demonstrate how telehealth networks can meet the goals of the program. Applicants need to have a successful track record in implementing telehealth technology and have a network of partners in place committed to the project.

Projects selected for funding must provide clinical services where performance measures can be developed. HRSA strongly recommends emphasizing clinical services that focus on one or more chronic disease states of high priority such as CHF, cancer, strokes, chronic respiratory disease and/or diabetes.

Grantees will be required to participate in the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth’s data collection and evaluation efforts as a condition for accepting TNGP funding. The data collected must include six month progress reports, annual reports, information for the grantee directory, and a final grant project report.

The grant notice was posted on December 13, 2012. Estimated amount of funding for this competition (HRSA 13-166) will be $2,250,000 with nine awards estimated. The average size of the awards is estimated to be $250,000. The application deadline is February 13, 2013 with the anticipated award date to be September 1, 2013.

For more information, go to www.grants.gov.