Fillable Printable Sample Letter of Interest to AHRQ

Sample Letter of Interest to AHRQ

Sample Letter of Intent to AHRQ:

December 23, 2009

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Attention: David Hsia

540 Gaither Road

Rockville, MD 20850-6649

Ref: Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-HS-10-021

Dear Mr. Hsia:

Let this letter serve as the (health system or state government name)’s expression of intent to

prepare a proposal in response to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Request for Applications (RFA) Number: RFA-HS-10-021, entitled: Medical Liability Reform

and Patient Safety Demonstration Projects (R18). Our application will propose to test the

medical liability reform and patient safety attributes of the MedEncentive Information Therapy

Program.

Though we intend to submit a proposal, we understand that this letter of intent (LOI) is non-

binding. If our organization chooses not to submit a proposal, we will notify you by email prior

to the proposal due date.

Description of Sponsoring Organization - Our health care system (or state government)...

Description of Innovation – The MedEncentive Program is a web-based incentive system that a

growing number of experts describe as a potential breakthrough in quality improvement, health

promotion, and cost containment. In over five years of testing, the MedEncentive Program has

demonstrated cost containment by addressing many of the issues that have prompted this

demonstration.

Briefly, the MedEncentive Program is designed to "bolt-on" to existing health plans (such as

Blue Cross, Medicare, commercial insurers, self-insured employers, etc.) to control healthcare

costs by rewarding doctors and patients for engaging each other in best practices and healthy

behaviors. In effect, MedEncentive uses financial incentives to invoke more powerful

psychosocial motivators that exist in the doctor-patient relationship. The types of medical

interventions that have been successfully incorporated into the Program include evidence-based

medicine (EBM) treatment guidelines and information therapy (Ix

There is evidence that this program helps protect patient safety, improve doctor-patient

communications, improve care, and reduces the practice of defensive medicine. We are interested

in further testing this method to confirm and expand upon this evidence by incorporating other

types of medical interventions such as health risk assessments and medication adherence

Ix is a registered trademark of the eHealth Initiative

programs. We have a number of patient safety and medical liability metrics we plan to test that

will be described in our proposal.

Participating Organizations – In order to test MedEncentive, physicians and health plan

members must be enrolled and voluntarily participate in the program. We have (are) recruiting

self-insured employers and health insurers to participate in this demonstration and fund the cost

of the program to include the financial rewards for doctors and patients. These organizations

(include...or will be listed in our proposal...)

We are also receiving support from (list any provider, consumer or other supporting

organizations)...

Project Director/Principal Investigator – The director of this project will be...(list this person’s

credentials to manage a project of this nature and conduct credible research)...

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact___________________

at_____________________.

Sincerely,

Name

Title

CC’s