RFP # INN001 Request for Proposals AHI PPS Innovation Funds Key Dates RFP Issue Date: October 14, 2016 LOI Due Date: October 28, 2016 Application Due Date: November 30, 2016 Estimated Awards Announced: January 13, 2017 Estimated Contract Start Date: February 1, 2017 AHI Contact Eric Burton Chief Financial Officer Adirondack Health Institute eburton@ahihealth.org (518) 480-0111 ext. 201 1
RFP: AHI PPS Innovation Funds I. Overview Purpose: The AHI PPS is requesting proposals for innovative projects. Funding is available to support projects that represent innovative approaches to the design, delivery, and/or payment models for health care and related services. Related Services includes social and communitybased services in the areas of prevention, wellness, and those that impact the social determinants of health (e.g., housing, transportation, etc.). Successful applications will clearly link specific strategies/interventions to positive outcomes in health care quality, cost, access, and/or patient experience of care, and have a well-developed plan for sustainability. Projects proposed should strengthen, extend, or otherwise support the success of one of the eleven AHI PPS projects. Funding priorities include implementation of integrated care models, telehealth/telemedicine projects, and projects that involve the provision of care in home and community-based settings. Projects outside of the funding priorities may also be considered. Eligibility: All AHI PPS Partners are eligible to the Innovation Fund. An AHI PPS Partner is defined as an organization that has signed the AHI PPS Master Participation Agreement. Multipartner, collaborative proposals are encouraged, however one organization must serve as the lead applicant. Project Term: Project terms should not exceed two years. Exclusions: The Funds may not be used for the purchase of land or vehicles, support of lobbying or political activities, to establish or continue RHIO participation and/or connection, and for services that are eligible for reimbursement. Timeline: AHI intends on inviting applications for the Innovation Funds pool twice annually. For this round of funding, Letters of Interest are due by October 28, 2016. For those invited to apply, full applications will be due by November 30, 2016. Awards notice and contracting stage to begin is targeted by January 13, 2017. Contract start date is targeted for February 1, 2017. II. Availability of Funds The AHI PPS anticipates a total pool of approximately $5.2 million will be available to support Innovation Projects over the course of DSRIP initiative. Funding decisions will reflect the quality of the applications received; there is no obligation for the PPS to fully expend the funds allocated each year. It is anticipated that proposals will be in the range of $25,000 to $250,000 annually, however, projects with budgets outside this range may be considered. III. Application Process The RFP notice, including eligibility, instructions, and timeline, will be posted on the AHI website and will be included in the AHI DSRIP News. It is anticipated that applications will be elicited twice annually. 2
Letter of Intent: A required Letter of Intent (LOI) begins the process. The LOI must include: Applicant Organization & Contact Person, Project Title, Purpose, Goals & Objectives, Brief Narrative, Proposed Term, and a high level Budget. The LOI should not exceed two pages. Letter of Intent should be submitted by email to DSRIPAHI@ahihealth.org with Innovation Funds LOI as the subject line no later than 5:00 PM on October 28, 2016. Review Panel: The AHI PPS Innovation Funds Review Panel ( the Panel ) will be established to review and score LOIs and applications. Composition of Review Panel: The Panel will include members from various AHI PPS Governing Committees and at least one member of the AHI Board of Directors. Panel members will not participate in review of projects they may benefit from directly or indirectly (e.g., proposals from their own organization). Any delays in the formation of panel membership related to the development of the new PHN (Population Health Network) structure may result in target dates for the full application and award announcements to be adjusted accordingly. Criteria for LOIs: The Panel will screen LOIs for the stated exclusions. The Panel will also screen out any LOI based on a consensus that it does not support the stated purpose of the Fund. The Panel will then evaluate the LOIs based on the following general criteria: (1) purpose and goals are clearly articulated, (2) the proposal strengthens, extends, or otherwise supports the success of, one of the 11 AHI PPS projects, (3) strength of the narrative; it explains how the goals and objectives will be met, (4) major budget items have been identified, and (5) project represents an innovative approach to the design, delivery, and/or payment models for health care and related services. LOI Response: The Panel will issue a response to each LOI that includes either an invitation to submit a full application or a rejection with a brief explanation of the reason for rejection. Invitations to apply will be sent no later than two weeks prior to the due date for the full application. IV. Application Components Organizations invited to apply after the LOI review will be asked to complete a full application. The full application will contain the following components with character limits indicated in parenthesis for each component. (character limit no spaces; 3000 characters is equivalent to one single spaced page of text). The total page limit is 8 pages (does not include cover page, work plan, budget, letters of support) a. Cover Page - Project Title, Applicant Organization & Contact Information 3
b. Executive Summary (3000) Briefly describe the project and how the project will support the success of one (or more) of the eleven AHI PPS DSRIP projects. c. Purpose - Goals & Objectives (3000) Describe specific goals and objectives of the project, including timelines, action steps, expected outcomes, evaluation steps, and responsible parties. d. Statement of Need (3000) Describe how the needs of the community will be served by the proposed project. Discuss how meeting those needs will help to advance DSRIP initiatives. e. Organizational Capacity (3000) Describe the lead applicant organization including mission, communities served and type of services provided. Also provide any steps taken to date by the organization to prepare for the proposed project. Include a description of staff, subcontractors, or consultants who will be participating in the project and their role in the project. f. Project Narrative (6000) Describe the project and how it will link strategies/interventions to positive outcomes in health care quality, cost, access, and/or patient experience of care, and have a welldeveloped plan for sustainability. Also discuss how proposed project will strengthen, extend, or otherwise support the success of one of the eleven AHI PPS projects. Include in the narrative a summary of costs to implement the project. g. Plan for Evaluation (3000) Describe the methodologies that will be used to track progress of the project, including how the monitoring plan will include identification of barriers and strategies to resolve issues. h. Sustainability Plan (3000) Describe how the project will impact positive outcomes in health care quality, costs, access, and/or patient experience. Also describe how outcomes of the project will continue after the funding period. i. Work plan (attachment # 1) Complete the attached work plan template. j. Budget (attachment # 2) Complete the attached budget template. For multi-year projects, include a separate budget template for each year. 4
k. Letters of Support Provide letters of support for the proposed project. Projects involving multi-partner, collaborative proposals should include letters of support from all collaborating partners. Full applications should be submitted by email to DSRIPAHI@ahihealth.org with Innovation Funds Application as the subject line no later than 5:00 PM on November 30, 2016. Only organizations who received an invitation to submit a full application should apply. Criteria for Applications: The Panel will review applications and award a maximum of 100 total points as follows: Purpose, Goals & Objectives 15 Statement of Need 10 Organizational Capacity 5 Project Narrative 20 Evaluation Plan 10 Sustainability Plan 10 Work plan 15 Budget 10 Letters of Support 5 Application Response: The Panel will issue a response to each application that includes either an award notice or a rejection with a brief explanation of the reason for rejection. V. Awards, Contracting and Payment Following notice of award, AHI will enter into a contract with the awardee. The contract will specify the reporting requirements (at least quarterly), progress monitoring process, remediation process, and terms for payment. Multi-year projects will be evaluated for continuation on an annual basis. Partners will be required to submit quarterly invoices and required reports in order to receive payments toward award amounts. AHI intends to allow up to 25% of total award amounts as advances against future invoices to assist organizations with project start-up costs. 5