Independent Evaluation Grant Frequently Asked Questions

 

Listed below are the frequently asked questions regarding the MedEncentive independent evaluation grant:

  1. Why should our coalition, health plan and employers be interested in participating in this evaluation?
  2. What are the resources that MedEncentive has available to help us communicate this proposal to our membership?
  3. Besides the evaluation grant, what other incentives/resources is MedEncentive offering to the coalition/plan or its employers to participate in this evaluation?
  4. Who do I contact for technical questions about my proposal?
  5. What is the application deadline and late submission policy?
  6. How can I check the status of my proposal once it is submitted?
  7. Do I need to submit a budget?
  8. What is the page limit for proposals?
  9. May I include scientific and/or published references to support statements in my brief narrative? If I include references at the end of the narrative, does the ten-page limit still apply, or can the reference list be outside of the ten-page limit?
  10. May I submit appendices as part of the brief proposal?
  11. What is the time period (start/end dates and duration) for these grants?
  12. How much can I request for my project?
  13. How many projects will be funded?
  14. Can I submit a proposal for which MedEncentive funds would serve as a matching grant?
  15. Can multiple organizations submit a joint proposal?
  16. Will I receive specific comments on my proposal after a decision is made?
  17. What happens after I submit my proposal?
  18. How can I find out more about MedEncentive?
  19. Will the MedEncentive fund others entities besides coalitions and health plans?
  20. Who is eligible to receive a grant under this program?
  21. How will I know that my proposal has been successfully submitted?  
  22. Can I submit a proposal without having all employer participants committed?
  23. Can I submit a proposal without having all employer participants committed by the January 31 proposal deadline?
  24. Can I submit a proposal that does not meet the April 1 project launch date?
  25. Are there other sources of funds that may be used to pay for rewards to doctors and patients, and for operational costs?
  26. Please summarize the value of participating in this trial for a business coalition.
  27. I am (We are) interested in participating in the Independent Evaluation.  However, I (we) need more time to put together a proposal.  What should I (we) do?
  28. My employer/insurer is concerned about implementing the MedEncentive Program at a time other than the beginning of a benefit year.  How should I respond to this concern?
  29. Do you (MedEncentive) have plans to offer the special pricing associated with the grant to employers/insurers that do not participate in the evaluation?
  30. Is there an upper limit to the number of lives that can participate in any one evaluation project to lock-in the demonstration pricing over the three year trial?
  31. Is there additional funding available for larger trial populations? 

 

FAQs

  1. Why should our coalition, health plan and employers be interested in participating in this evaluation?

Answer: Everyone responsible for underwriting the cost of healthcare benefits is desperately seeking ways to control these costs. In addition, employers are searching ways to: a) maintain a healthy and productive workforce; b) attract, retain and motivate high quality employees; c) resolve the impasse with organized labor over healthcare benefits; and d) increase the value of purchased healthcare.

MedEncentive is being hailed as a breakthrough in healthcare cost control that accomplishes all these objectives.  There has been a good bit of interest in subjecting MedEncentive to a high level, large scale independent evaluation.

To stimulate interest in this evaluation among employers, MedEncentive is offering a one-time discount in fees to participating employers.

Many coalitions and researchers are seeking projects that can attract significant funding and achieve research notoriety.

Therefore, the principal reasons coalitions, health plans and employers should be interested in participating in this evaluation are:

    1. the opportunity to independently assess the MedEncentive Program;
    2. the opportunity for participating employers and health plans to receive the MedEncentive Program at deeply discounted pricing that will be locked-in over the three year evaluation;
    3. the grant funds being offered by MedEncentive;
    4. the opportunity to use this evaluation to secure additional funding for other sources;
    5. the notoriety that will come from being involved in an important study that could have far reaching implications.
  1. What are the resources that MedEncentive has available to help us communicate this proposal to our membership?

Answer: MedEncentive will be pleased to present webcast introductions to interested coalitions/plans. MedEncentive will conduct site visits with the grant finalists.

  1. Besides the evaluation grant, what other incentives/resources is MedEncentive offering to the coalition/plan or its employers to participate in this evaluation.

Answer: MedEncentive is offering its program to participating employers at less than cost over the three year evaluation. More specifically, MedEncentive is waiving its implementation and maintenance fees and providing access to the MedEncentive Program during the evaluation period at our costs.  MedEncentive is also offering the following resources:

    1. In-market and remote employer orientation and recruitment;
    2. Full implementation support to participating employers;
    3. In-market and remote member orientation and recruitment to include employee orientation kits at cost;
    4. Establishment and maintenance of member and provider enrollment and eligibility;
    5. In-market and remote provider orientation and recruitment;
    6. On-going consultative services including recommendations on how to increase doctor and patient participation to achieve greater cost savings;
    7. A platform for gathering data on doctor and patient participation, satisfaction and other evaluation data;
    8. Support on integrating MedEncentive with other health improvement programs;
    9. Orientation and technical support to facilitate the automated electronic transfer of claims data and reward notices with health plan administrators; and
    10. Other services and resources in support of a successful, independent evaluation(s).
  1. Who do I contact for technical questions?

Answer: Please submit your questions via e-mail to jdempster@medencentive.com.

  1. What is the application deadline and late submission policy?

Answer:  The deadline is January 31, 2009, 3 p.m. Central. To be accepted for review, your proposal must be submitted by the deadline (see question #27).

  1. How can I check the status of my proposal once it is submitted?

Answer:  We expect to receive many proposals, all of which must go through the same review process. If you have a question about a specific proposal, please send an e-mail to jdempster@medencentive.com. Please be sure to include the name of the applicant, the principal investigator and contact information in the e-mail.

  1. Do I need to submit a budget?

Answer:  You will be asked for some basic budget information.

  1. What is the page limit for proposals?

Answer:  The responses to the questionnaire cannot be more than ten pages, single spaced, using 12-point Arial font—any additional materials will not be reviewed.

  1. May I include scientific and/or published references to support statements in my responses? If I include references at the end of the responses, does the ten-page limit still apply, or can the reference list be outside of the five-page limit?

Answer:  Yes, you may list references in support of your proposal. The references will not count towards the five-page limit.

  1. May I submit appendices as part of the brief proposal?

Answer:  We are seeking concise proposals, so appendices are discouraged.

  1. What is the time period (start/end dates and duration) for these grants?

Answer: Projects will start April 1, 2009 and last for three years from that date.

  1. How much can I request for my project?

Answer:  Each project will receive a $75,000 grant over three years. Though there may be addition grants available, you should limit your request to $75,000 or less.

  1. How many projects will be funded?

Answer:  The number of proposals we select and fund will depend on the number and quality of the proposals. However, we are prepared to fund multiple projects.

  1. Can I submit a proposal for which MedEncentive funds would serve as a matching grant?

Answer: Yes, applicants may submit a proposal for which MedEncentive funds would serve as a matching grant.

  1. Can multiple organizations submit a joint proposal?

Answer: Yes, multiple organizations may submit a joint proposal. You will need to identify one principal investigator and the lead organization that will receive the grant.

  1. Will I receive specific comments on my proposal after a decision is made?

Answer: Due to the volume of proposals we receive, we are unable to provide individual critiques of or comments on proposals not selected for funding.

  1. What happens after I submit my proposal?

Answer: If your project is selected, you will receive directions for implementation in mid-February 2009.

  1. How can I find out more about MedEncentive?

Answer: We encourage you to access our website at www.medencentive.com to learn more about MedEncentive. You may also email Jim Dempster at jdempster@medencentive.com or call Jim at 405-319-8454 to request an in-depth webcast. We can also direct you to employers and providers who have experience with the MedEncentive Program. Finally, you may contact the National Business Coalition on Health for additional information.

  1. Will the MedEncentive fund others entities besides coalitions and health plans?

Answer: As described in our solicitation summary, we will be giving preference to coalition members of the National Business Coalition on Health. We will also consider proposals from independent health plans and from large employers. Health plans and employers who are interested in collaborating with member coalitions are encouraged to do so.

  1. Who is eligible to receive a grant under this program?

Answer: Coalition members of the National Business Coalition on Health, health plans and individual employers are eligible to receive a grant. Preference will be given to coalition members.

  1. How will I know that my proposal has been successfully submitted?

Answer: You will receive an email from Jim Dempster confirming your submission. The email you use to submit your proposal will be used for this purpose.

  1. How much will participation in this evaluation project cost employers/insurers and what can an employer/insurer expect to save in healthcare costs? 

Answer: An economic analysis slide-set of the three-year project is available upon request.  This analysis projects the “all-in” program costs for the minimum trial population (5,000) to range from 0.43% to 0.81% of total annual healthcare expenditures.  Projections of cost saving are also presented that range from 1.2:1 to 10:1 return on investment.

 

MedEncentive’s original trial employer has experienced an 8:1 ROI over a four year period.

  1. Can I submit a proposal without having all employer participants committed by the January 31 proposal deadline?

Answer: Yes, however, you should indicate your most likely employer candidates in your proposal.

  1. Can I submit a proposal that does not meet the April 1 project launch date?

 

Answer: Yes, we will consider proposals for projects that launch as late as July 1.  However, proposals that meet the April 1 launch date will be given preference.

  1. Are there other sources of funds that may be used to pay for rewards to doctors and patients, and for operational costs? 

 

Answer: There is a good bit of interest in our cost containment solution by other funding sources such as pharmaceutical companies and state governments. Though some of these funding sources may restrict the application of their grants, MedEncentive’s funds are not constrained in this fashion. This can provide additional funding sources with flexibility in application.  Feel free to direct other funding sources to us for an explanation of the project and coordination of grants.

  1. Please summarize the value of participating in this trial for a business coalition.

Answer:  Obviously, the $75,000 grant is intended to directly benefit of the coalition awardee. However, the more important benefit is in offering a viable healthcare cost containment solution to your coalition member.  It is clear that a discretionary membership in an association becomes the target of budgetary pressures during difficult economic times.  As one director stated, “It is essential that my coalition offers value to our members at all times, but especially during this economic downturn.”

MedEncentive is a proven healthcare cost containment solution. The need for cost containment is one of the primary reasons we decided to offer the MedEncentive Independent Evaluation Seed Grant to NBCH member coalitions.  We are quite confident that employers and insurers will value their coalition membership as they benefit from participating in the MedEncentive Program.

  1. I am (We are) interested in participating in the Independent Evaluation.  However, I (we) need more time to put together a proposal.  What should I (we) do?

Answer: The deadline for submitting proposals is January 31, 2009.  If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, then we recommend you answer the RFP’s questionnaire as completely as possible.  Let us know what aspects of your project need more time.  If you are still in the process of recruiting employers and insurers, then we recommend that you state this in your proposal.  We will consider proposals that expect to have employers/insurers recruited by March 31, and can launch the program no later than July 1.  Obviously, proposals with identified employers/insurers, that are ready to launch by April 1, will be given first consideration.

  1. My employer/insurer is concerned about implementing the MedEncentive Program at a time other than the beginning of a benefit year.  How should I respond to this concern?

 

Answer: As we see it, when an economic downturn happens, the rules of the game change for all concerned.  It is no longer business as usual.  In a previous question we described the win-win strategy of taking advantage of the economic downturn to shift healthcare costs to employees and allow them to earn their out-of-pocket costs back (and then some) for demonstrating healthy behaviors through the MedEncentive Program.  Given the economy, employers can implement the first phase of this strategy immediately and implement additional steps at anniversary time.  A mid-year adjustment to health benefits that engage, educate, empower and motivate health plan members through their physicians is a win-win-win.

 

  1. Do you (MedEncentive) have plans to offer the special pricing associated with the grant to employers/insurers that do not participate in the evaluation?

 

Answer: No, this is a one-time opportunity for those who participate in this grant.  The purpose of the grant is to facilitate independent evaluations of the MedEncentive Program’s ability to gain doctor and patient participation and contain healthcare costs.  Employers who desire MedEncentive’s cost containment program outside of the grant will pay standard pricing.

 

  1. Is there an upper limit to the number of lives that can participate in any one evaluation project to lock-in the demonstration pricing over the three year trial?  

 

Answer: The grant requires a minimum of 5,000 covered lives in order to achieve a statistically significant result. We now realize that the economic downturn and the demand for incentive driven healthcare cost containment programs is generating greater interest among employers wanting to participate in the evaluation to take advantage of the demonstration project prices.

 

The MedEncentive program is very easy to implement and maintain and we are prepared to support large populations.  Therefore, there is no reasonable upper limit on the number of covered lives that may be enrolled in any one evaluation project, provided the participating employers/insurers are capable of supporting and promoting the program as recommended, and the coalition awardee is capable of analyzing the results appropriately.

 

  1. Is there additional funding available for larger trial populations? 

 

Answer: We will consider proposals that request grants in excess of the current award for projects involving populations greater than 20,000, provided these proposals detail how the additional monies would be used, such as engaging an academic institution or consulting firm to conduct or assist in the evaluation.  We would be especially interested in large projects that revolve around “cultures of health.”  (If you have questions regarding a larger evaluation, please call Jim Dempster at 405-319-8454 or 405-420-1202.)