Building Quality Improvement (QI) Capacity: QI online course module

Purpose
The goal of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Quality Improvement Online Resource Center is to increase quality improvement (QI) knowledge, competency and use among practicing healthcare professionals. This project seeks to develop a comprehensive QI online training course that will systematically teach clinicians and health care workers the fundamental concepts and skills of QI and show them how to apply these techniques in practice to improve patient care in health care settings.

Project Requirements
RWJF is seeking proposals from organizations to develop an online QI curriculum comprised of modules that will offer basic and intermediate QI content to train a variety of health care professionals. RWJF will then make this online training module broadly available for free to a wide range of practitioners and public health workers through a QI resource center Web site that will be developed through a separate RFP process.

Applicant organizations:

• must be willing and able to work with the organization that will be chosen at a later date to develop the QI resource center Web site;
• must create content that is compatible with the technical specifications of the QI resource center Web site;
• must have the capacity to develop content and make that content available via an interactive Web-based format; and
• must create content that is self-contained and can be maintained on the web by the organization chosen to maintain the QI resource center Web site.

You should specifically address in your proposal your ability to produce interactive Web-based learning material that is consistent with adult learning theory and reflects the current state of QI knowledge.

Curriculum Requirements
For the purpose of this project, we are defining QI as a process-based, data-driven approach to improving the quality of a product or service through iterative action-evaluation cycles. While the Foundation will rely on the expertise of bidders for the development of a specific curriculum, we are interested in proposals that include:

• An explanation of why QI is needed in health care and how it can be applied in the industry.
• Various methods, including PDSA, rapid-cycle improvement and root cause analysis.
• Various tools such as flowcharting, measurement techniques, data collection and instruments.
• The ability to participate in a real or simulated project and to evaluate results.
• Evaluations of learner competency, as well as program content and experience.

Eligibility Criteria
We have invited a select number of organizations, including universities, for-profit training firms and non-profit training organizations, to submit proposals for this grant opportunity. We may give preference to applicant organizations that are tax-exempt under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Applicants must be based in the United States or its territories.

All proposals should include the following:

• A detailed description of the curriculum, including specific identification of the curriculum components;
• An evaluation component;
• A detailed description of the development of the Web-based methodology;
• An implementation timeline;
• A description of your expertise and experience in QI training and in developing online QI training modules; ,
• Biographical sketches of key personnel;
• Your perceived limitations and how you plan to overcome these challenges and barriers; and
• A detailed budget. (Specific information regarding our budget guidelines can be found at: http://www.rwjf.org/search/gsa/search.jsp?q=budget+guidelines&src=sw. Please click on the link: Frequently asked Questions about Unsolicited Proposals. Once there, click on the question that asks: What should I submit when asked for a detailed budget?)

Selection Criteria
We will select proposals based on:

• Ability of applicant to meet specific program content and structure requirements, specifically:
  • Knowledge and understanding of quality improvement theory, tools and techniques
  • Knowledge and incorporation of adult learning theory into curriculum development
  • Creative incorporation of QI content in an interactive web-based format to provide a "user friendly" approach
• Experience of applicant in the provision of quality improvement training;
• Experience of applicant with adult learning;
• Experience of applicant with web based applications;
• Quality, generalizability and innovativeness of the curriculum;
• Ability of applicant to create and make available a Web-based application for dissemination of the curriculum that is consistent with adult learning theory and is current in technical specifications;
• Strength of proposed strategy to create a curriculum module that will lead to real world application;
• Demonstrated experience, skill, and capacity to complete this project on schedule;
• Plan to monitor the use of the online training curriculum and make modifications based on participant feedback;
• Sustainability plan

Use of Grant Funds
Grant funds may be used for project staff salaries, consultant fees, data collection and analysis, meetings, supplies, project-related travel, and other direct project expenses, including a limited amount of equipment essential to the project.

The awardee should budget for the principal investigators or their representatives to travel to participate in four face-to-face meetings over the course of the grant period to work with the grantee chosen to design the QI resource center Web site.

In keeping with Foundation policy, awardees may not use grant funds for lobbying or as a substitute for funds currently being used to support similar activities.

In addition, policy guidelines established by the Foundation's Board of Trustees usually preclude funding support solely for:

• ongoing general operating expenses or existing deficits;
• items for which third-party reimbursement is available;
• endowment or capital costs, including construction, renovation, or equipment
• basic biomedical research;
• research on unapproved drug therapies or devices;
• international programs or institutions; or
• grants made directly to individuals as opposed to institutions or organizations.

Total Awards
This program will support one project with a maximum budget of $600,000 for no more than two years. A competitive project of shorter duration may have a higher likelihood of being funded.

Please note that funding for this project will be contingent upon RWJF Board approval in January 2009.

How to Apply
We invite applicants via letter or email to submit a proposal of no more than 12 pages accompanied by a budget and budget narrative to QIRC@rwjf.org. We will not accept late or incomplete proposals.

Informational Applicant Conference Call
We will hold a conference call for interested applicants on September 4, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview of this solicitation and answer questions. To register and receive dial-in information, please visit www.rwjf-qirc.org.

For more information on the program and application requirements please contact:

Denise A. Davis, Dr.P.H., M.P.A., program officer
All questions should be directed to: info@rwjf-qirc.org

RWJF does not provide individual critiques of proposals/applications submitted.
RWJF will make all final grant decisions.

________________________

Responsible staff members at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are:
Denise A. Davis, Dr.P.H., M.P.A., program officer
Susan Hassmiller, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., senior program officer
John Lumpkin, M.D., M.P.H., senior vice president and director, Health Care group
Cathy Malone, M.B.A., program associate
Linda Wright Moore, M.S., senior communications officer
Steve Theisen, grants administrator

Timetable
Date: August 19, 2008
Letter of intent will be issued

Date: September 4, 2008 3 p.m. EST
Informational Web conference call

Date: October 1, 2008 5:00 p.m. ET
Deadline for receipt of full proposals