Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Healthcare Associated Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Challenge, 57187-57189 [2015-23990]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 183 / Tuesday, September 22, 2015 / Notices
Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office,
Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the
Associate Director for Science, Office of the
Director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
contributed to exceptional VTE
prevention outcomes achieved by
Champions. Champions will receive a
cash prize (if eligible) and other forms
of recognition.
[FR Doc. 2015–24030 Filed 9–21–15; 8:45 am]
DATES:
Contest begins on November 2,
2015 and ends on January 10, 2016.
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Announcement of Requirements and
Registration for Healthcare Associated
Venous Thromboembolism Prevention
Challenge
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS).
Award Approving Official: Thomas R.
Frieden, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and
Administrator, Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry.
ACTION: Notice.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) located
within the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) announces the
launch of the Healthcare Associated
Venous Thromboembolism (HA–VTE)
Prevention Challenge on November 2,
2015. The challenge will be open until
January 10, 2016.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE),
blood clots occurring as deep vein
thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism
(PE), or both, is an important and
growing public health issue. Prevention
of healthcare associated VTE (HA–VTE)
is a national hospital safety priority.
Many HA–VTEs can be prevented, but
VTE prevention strategies and are still
not being applied regularly or
effectively across the United States.
To support and promote HA–VTE
prevention, HHS/CDC is announcing the
2015 HA–VTE Prevention Challenge.
The challenge will bring prestige to
organizations that invest in VTE
prevention, improve understanding of
successful implementation strategies at
the health system level, and motivate
health systems to strengthen their VTE
prevention efforts. The top-judged
organizations found to have
implemented innovative and effective
VTE prevention strategies will be
recognized as HA–VTE Prevention
Champions. HHS/CDC will document
these successful strategies and highlight
the systems, processes, and staffing that
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
17:39 Sep 21, 2015
The
challenge is authorized by Public Law
111–358, the America Creating
Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote
Excellence in Technology, Education
and Science Reauthorization Act of
2010 (COMPETES Act).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Michele Beckman, Division of Blood
Disorders, National Center on Birth
Defects and Developmental Disabilities,
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE.,
Mailstop E–64, Atlanta, GA 30329,
Telephone: 404–498–6474, Fax: 404–
498–6799, Attention: HA–VTE
Prevention Challenge, Email:
havtechallenge@cdc.gov.
Jkt 235001
Subject of Challenge Competition
Entrants of the HA–VTE Prevention
Challenge will be asked to describe the
VTE prevention strategy and reasons
that support the strategy choice
developed by their organization. In
addition, entrants will be asked to
describe the specific intervention(s) (e.g.
implementation of VTE protocols and
order sets, risk assessment, electronic
alerts, clinical decision support tools,
performance monitoring systems and
dashboards, patient and/or provider
education and awareness, postdischarge follow-up, etc.), methods, and
systems used to implement, support and
evaluate the strategy. Entrants will be
asked to submit at least one quantitative
measure showing an increase of VTE
prevention (e.g. number of patients
assessed for VTE risk, number of at risk
patients receiving appropriate VTE
prevention, number of patients and/or
providers receiving education on VTE
prevention, etc.) and/or decrease in HA–
VTE rates for the organization’s
population of interest. Each measure
submitted must include two data points:
One for the control or pre-intervention
period and a second for the postintervention period. Control/preintervention and post-intervention
measures must cover a period of at least
six months. This information collection
is approved by the Office of
Management and Budget under OMB
Control Number 0990–0390, expiration
April 30, 2018.
PO 00000
Frm 00043
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
57187
Eligibility Rules for Participating in the
Competition
To be eligible to win a monetary prize
under this challenge, an individual or
entity—
(1) Shall have completed and
submitted the nomination form in its
entirety to participate in the
competition under the rules
promulgated by HHS/CDC;
(2) Must be a hospital, multi-hospital
system, hospital network or managed
care organization, incorporated in and
maintaining a primary place of business
in the United States that provides
inpatient medical care for patients.
(3) May not be a Federal entity or
Federal employee acting within the
scope of their employment (Federal
entities or employees are eligible to
participate in the challenge; however,
they are not eligible to receive a
monetary prize. Federal entities are
eligible for non-monetary recognition
only.);
(4) Shall not be an HHS employee
working on their applications or
submissions during assigned duty
hours;
(5) Shall not be an employee or
contractor at HHS/CDC;
(6) Federal grantees may not use
Federal funds to develop COMPETES
Act challenge applications unless
consistent with the purpose of their
grant award.
(7) Federal contractors may not use
Federal funds from a contract to develop
COMPETES Act challenge applications
or to fund efforts in support of a
COMPETES Act challenge submission;
(8) Must agree to participate in a data
validation process to be conducted by
an HHS/CDC-selected contractor. To the
extent applicable law allows, data will
be kept confidential by the contractor
and will be shared with the CDC in
aggregate form only; i.e., the VTE
prevention coverage rate for the practice
not individual data;
(9) Must have a data management
system (electronic or paper) that allows
HHS/CDC or their contractor to check
data submitted;
(10) Individual nominees and
individuals in a group practice must be
free from convictions or pending
investigations of criminal and health
care fraud offenses such as felony health
care fraud, patient abuse or neglect;
felony convictions for other healthcarerelated fraud, theft, or other financial
misconduct; and felony convictions
relating to unlawful manufacture,
distribution, prescription, or dispensing
of controlled substances as verified
through the Office of the Inspector
General List of Excluded Individuals
E:\FR\FM\22SEN1.SGM
22SEN1
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
57188
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 183 / Tuesday, September 22, 2015 / Notices
and Entities. https://oig.hhs.gov/
exclusions/background.asp
Individual nominees must be free
from serious sanctions, such as those for
misuse or mis-prescribing of
prescription medications. Such serious
sanctions will be determined at the
discretion of the agency consistent with
CDC’s public health mission. HHS/
CDC’s contractor may perform
background checks on individual
clinicians or medical practices.
(11) Health systems must have a
written policy in place that conducts
periodic background checks as
described in (10) on all providers and
takes appropriate action accordingly. In
addition, a health system background
check may be conducted, as deemed
necessary, by HHS/CDC or an HHS/CDC
contractor that includes a search for The
Joint Commission sanctions and current
investigations for serious institutional
misconduct (e.g., attorney general
investigation). HHS/CDC’s contractor
may also request the policy and any
supporting information deemed
necessary.
(12) Must agree to accept the
monetary prize and be recognized if
selected, and agree to participate in an
interview to develop a success story that
describes the systems and processes that
support VTE prevention. Champions
will be recognized on HHS/CDC Web
sites. Strategies used by Champions that
support VTE prevention may be written
into a success story, placed on HHS/
CDC Web sites, and attributed to
Champions.
An individual or entity shall not be
deemed ineligible because the
individual or entity used Federal
facilities or consulted with Federal
employees during a competition if the
facilities and employees are made
available to all individuals and entities
participating in the competition on an
equal basis.
By participating in this challenge, an
individual or organization agrees to
assume any and all risks related to
participating in the challenge.
Individuals or organizations also agree
to waive claims against the Federal
Government and its related entities,
except in the case of willful misconduct,
when participating in the challenge,
including claims for injury; death;
damage; or loss of property, money, or
profits, and including those risks caused
by negligence or other causes.
By participating in this challenge,
individuals or organizations agree to
protect the Federal Government against
third party claims for damages arising
from or related to challenge activities.
Entrants who are a U.S. federal
hospital, multi-hospital system, hospital
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:39 Sep 21, 2015
Jkt 235001
network or managed care organization
that provides inpatient medical care for
patients may apply for non-monetary
recognition. No monetary prize will be
awarded.
Entrants who are an international
hospital, multi-hospital system, hospital
network or managed care organization
that provides inpatient medical care for
patients may apply for non-monetary
recognition. No monetary prize will be
awarded.
Registration Process for Participants
To participate, interested parties will
navigate to www.challenge.gov. On this
site, nominees will have access to the
nomination form. Information required
of the nominees on the nomination form
includes:
• The organization name, address,
and contact information of the nominee.
• The size, scope, and general
demographic characteristics of the
nominees’ patient population.
• Details regarding the nominee’s
VTE prevention strategy and
implementation including the
population(s) observed, intervention,
and methods of implementation.
Examples of strategies include
implementation of sustainable systems
or processes that support VTE
prevention. These may include but are
not limited to implementation of VTE
protocols and order sets, risk
assessment, electronic alerts, clinical
decision support tools, performance
monitoring systems and dashboards,
patient and/or provider education and
post-discharge follow-up.
• A description of the observed
results of the VTE prevention strategy
including the pre-implementation and
post-implementation measures for the
observed VTE prevention activity.
Examples of outcome measures include
but are not limited to the number of
patients assessed for VTE risk, the
number of at risk patients receiving
appropriate VTE prevention, and the
number of patients and/or providers
receiving education on VTE prevention.
• A brief summary of the barriers and
successes to implementation.
The VTE prevention rates achieved
should be for the organizations entire
patient population observed as outlined
in their strategy and intervention
methods, not limited to a sample. Data
on subpopulations is allowed, but must
be inclusive of all patients seen during
the stated time period of study.
Examples of ineligible data submissions
include VTE prevention interventions
limited to treatment cohorts from
clinical trials of novel anticoagulant
drugs.
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The estimated burden for completing
the nomination form is 30 minutes to 1
hour.
Amount of the Monetary Prize
An estimated 7 of highest scoring U.S.
hospitals, multi-hospital systems,
hospital networks and managed care
organizations will be recognized as HA–
VTE Prevention Champions and will
receive a cash award of $10,000. A
maximum of $70,000 will be awarded in
this challenge. Additional honorable
mention awards, pending availability of
funds, may be made if the judges
identify more than 7 deserving entries.
Federal and international winners will
receive non-monetary recognition but
no prize.
Payment of the Monetary Prize
Monetary prizes awarded under this
challenge will be paid by electronic
funds transfer and may be subject to
Federal income taxes. HHS will comply
with the Internal Revenue Service
withholding and reporting
requirements, where applicable.
Basis Upon Which Winner Will Be
Selected
Challenge submissions will be
evaluated by a panel of three to five
judges (CDC, HHS agencies such as the
Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality and the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services, and external
industry experts) using the information
provided on, and in accordance with,
the nomination form. The judges will
score the nomination form using a
rubric based on the following evaluation
criteria: methods (30% of score); results
(50% of score); and feasibility/utility
(20% of score) of the strategy and
interventions associated with the
intended outcome of interest. Nominees
with the highest score will be required
to participate in a process to verify their
data. Final selection will take into
account all the information form the
nomination form, the background check,
and data verification. Geographic
location and population treated may be
used to break any ties in the event of tie
scores at any point in the selection
process. An estimated 7 organizations
will be recognized as prize winners.
Some Champions will participate in a
post-challenge telephone interview. The
interview will include questions about
the strategies employed by the
organization to achieve high rates of
VTE prevention, including barriers and
facilitators for those strategies. The
interview will focus on systems and
processes and should not require
preparation time by the Champion. The
estimated time for the interview is one
E:\FR\FM\22SEN1.SGM
22SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 183 / Tuesday, September 22, 2015 / Notices
hour, which includes time to review the
interview protocol with the interviewer,
respond to the interview questions, and
review a summary report about the
Champion’s practices. The summary
will be written as a success story and
will be posted on the CDC Web site.
Additional Information
Information received from nominees
will be stored in a password protected
file on a secure server. The challenge
Web site may post the number of
nominations received but will not
include information about individual
nominees. The database of information
submitted by nominees will not be
posted on the Web site. Personal
information collected and stored from
nominees will only include general
details, such as the organization name,
address, and contact information of the
nominee. This type of information is
generally publically available. The
nomination form and submission will
collect and store only aggregate clinical
data through the nomination process; no
individual identifiable patient data will
be collected or stored. Confidential or
propriety data, clearly marked as such,
will be secured to the full extent
allowable by law.
Information for selected Champions,
such as the hospital or health system’s
name, location, VTE prevention
outcomes, and practices that support
HA–VTE prevention will be shared
through press releases, the challenge
Web site, social media, and other HHS/
CDC resources. Summary data on the
types of systems and processes used to
increase VTE prevention will be shared
in documents or other communication
products that describe generally used
practices for successful VTE prevention.
HHS/CDC will use the summary data
only as described.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Compliance With Rules and Contacting
Contest Winners
Finalists must comply with all terms
and conditions of these official rules,
and winning is contingent upon
fulfilling all requirements herein. The
finalists will be notified by email,
telephone, or mail after the date of
judging.
Privacy
Personal information provided by
entrants on the nomination form
through the challenge Web site will be
used to contact selected finalists.
Information is not collected for
commercial marketing. Winners are
permitted to cite that they won this
challenge.
The names, cities, and states of
selected Champions will be made
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:39 Sep 21, 2015
Jkt 235001
available in HHS/CDC’s educational
materials on VTE prevention and at
recognition events.
General Conditions
HHS/CDC reserves the right to cancel
suspend, and/or modify the challenge,
or any part of it, for any reason, as HHS/
CDC’s sole discretion.
Dated: September 15, 2015.
Sandra Cashman,
Acting Director, Division of the Executive
Secretariat, Office of the Chief of Staff,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2015–23990 Filed 9–21–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Statement of Organization, Functions,
and Delegations of Authority
Part C (Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention) of the Statement of
Organization, Functions, and
Delegations of Authority of the
Department of Health and Human
Services (45 FR 67772–76, dated
October 14, 1980, and corrected at 45 FR
69296, October 20, 1980, as amended
most recently at 80 FR 34643–34644,
dated June 6, 2015) is amended to
reflect the reorganization of the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Section C–B, Organization and
Functions, is hereby amended as
follows:
Delete in its entirety the title and
function statements for the Division of
Respiratory Disease Studies (CCH) and
insert the following:
Respiratory Health Division (CCH).
The Respiratory Health Division (RHD)
seeks to advance protection against
work-related hazards and exposures that
cause or contribute to respiratory
illness, injury, and death and to
promote workplace-based interventions
that improve respiratory health. To
accomplish its mission, the Division
gathers and synthesizes information,
makes recommendations, and delivers
products and services to a range of
stakeholders, including partners able to
effect prevention. Specifically, RHD: (1)
Prevents work-related respiratory
disease and improves workers’
respiratory health by generating new
knowledge and transferring that
knowledge into practice; (2) plans,
designs, and conducts a national
research program relevant to preventing
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
57189
occupational respiratory disease and
optimizing workers’ respiratory health;
(3) upon request, conducts hazard
evaluations and provides technical
assistance to address challenges,
including emerging issues, in
occupational respiratory disease; (4)
plans, designs, and conducts a national
surveillance program for occupational
and work-related respiratory disease; (5)
communicates study findings to prevent
occupational respiratory disease and
optimize workers’ respiratory health,
and evaluates the effectiveness of these
communications; (6) administers a
program of legislatively mandated
medical monitoring services for coal
miners under the Federal Mine Safety
and Health Act of 1977; and (7) provides
rewarding educational and training
opportunities in occupational and workrelated respiratory disease prevention to
visiting scientists, Epidemiologic
Investigations Service Officers, fellows,
residents, interns, students and others
through a variety of temporary
assignments in various Division
activities.
Office of the Director (CCH1). Directs
and manages the operations of the
Respiratory Health Division.
Field Studies Branch (CCHB). (1)
Plans, designs, and conducts short- and
long-term field investigations relevant to
preventing occupational respiratory
diseases and optimizing workers’
respiratory health; (2) responds to
requests for health hazard evaluations
and technical assistance relevant to
occupational respiratory disease; (3)
conducts morbidity and mortality
studies relating to occupational
respiratory diseases in selected worker
populations and the general population
in order to identify causal agents and
other risk factors, quantify exposure
effect relationships, and evaluate
prevalence and severity of specific
respiratory diseases; (4) conducts
environmental studies, medical test
evaluations, industrial hygiene research,
laboratory research, demonstrations of
workplace exposures and controls, and
studies the challenges created by new
technologies; (5) provides statistical
design and implements data analysis
and verification for Division research
projects; and (6) develops and evaluates
research methods of data collection,
processing, and statistical analysis that
are relevant to the Division mission,
including medical tests, sampling
approaches and equipment, sample
analyses, exposure and dose assessment
and modeling (including dermal
exposure), bioavailability of exposures,
biomarkers of exposure and health
effects, and protective measures.
E:\FR\FM\22SEN1.SGM
22SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 183 (Tuesday, September 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57187-57189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-23990]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Announcement of Requirements and Registration for Healthcare
Associated Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Challenge
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719
AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
Award Approving Official: Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, Director,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Administrator, Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located
within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the
launch of the Healthcare Associated Venous Thromboembolism (HA-VTE)
Prevention Challenge on November 2, 2015. The challenge will be open
until January 10, 2016.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), blood clots occurring as deep vein
thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), or both, is an important and
growing public health issue. Prevention of healthcare associated VTE
(HA-VTE) is a national hospital safety priority. Many HA-VTEs can be
prevented, but VTE prevention strategies and are still not being
applied regularly or effectively across the United States.
To support and promote HA-VTE prevention, HHS/CDC is announcing the
2015 HA-VTE Prevention Challenge. The challenge will bring prestige to
organizations that invest in VTE prevention, improve understanding of
successful implementation strategies at the health system level, and
motivate health systems to strengthen their VTE prevention efforts. The
top-judged organizations found to have implemented innovative and
effective VTE prevention strategies will be recognized as HA-VTE
Prevention Champions. HHS/CDC will document these successful strategies
and highlight the systems, processes, and staffing that contributed to
exceptional VTE prevention outcomes achieved by Champions. Champions
will receive a cash prize (if eligible) and other forms of recognition.
DATES: Contest begins on November 2, 2015 and ends on January 10, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Beckman, Division of Blood
Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton
Road NE., Mailstop E-64, Atlanta, GA 30329, Telephone: 404-498-6474,
Fax: 404-498-6799, Attention: HA-VTE Prevention Challenge, Email:
havtechallenge@cdc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The challenge is authorized by Public Law
111-358, the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote
Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Reauthorization Act of
2010 (COMPETES Act).
Subject of Challenge Competition
Entrants of the HA-VTE Prevention Challenge will be asked to
describe the VTE prevention strategy and reasons that support the
strategy choice developed by their organization. In addition, entrants
will be asked to describe the specific intervention(s) (e.g.
implementation of VTE protocols and order sets, risk assessment,
electronic alerts, clinical decision support tools, performance
monitoring systems and dashboards, patient and/or provider education
and awareness, post-discharge follow-up, etc.), methods, and systems
used to implement, support and evaluate the strategy. Entrants will be
asked to submit at least one quantitative measure showing an increase
of VTE prevention (e.g. number of patients assessed for VTE risk,
number of at risk patients receiving appropriate VTE prevention, number
of patients and/or providers receiving education on VTE prevention,
etc.) and/or decrease in HA-VTE rates for the organization's population
of interest. Each measure submitted must include two data points: One
for the control or pre-intervention period and a second for the post-
intervention period. Control/pre-intervention and post-intervention
measures must cover a period of at least six months. This information
collection is approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB
Control Number 0990-0390, expiration April 30, 2018.
Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Competition
To be eligible to win a monetary prize under this challenge, an
individual or entity--
(1) Shall have completed and submitted the nomination form in its
entirety to participate in the competition under the rules promulgated
by HHS/CDC;
(2) Must be a hospital, multi-hospital system, hospital network or
managed care organization, incorporated in and maintaining a primary
place of business in the United States that provides inpatient medical
care for patients.
(3) May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within
the scope of their employment (Federal entities or employees are
eligible to participate in the challenge; however, they are not
eligible to receive a monetary prize. Federal entities are eligible for
non-monetary recognition only.);
(4) Shall not be an HHS employee working on their applications or
submissions during assigned duty hours;
(5) Shall not be an employee or contractor at HHS/CDC;
(6) Federal grantees may not use Federal funds to develop COMPETES
Act challenge applications unless consistent with the purpose of their
grant award.
(7) Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract
to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in
support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission;
(8) Must agree to participate in a data validation process to be
conducted by an HHS/CDC-selected contractor. To the extent applicable
law allows, data will be kept confidential by the contractor and will
be shared with the CDC in aggregate form only; i.e., the VTE prevention
coverage rate for the practice not individual data;
(9) Must have a data management system (electronic or paper) that
allows HHS/CDC or their contractor to check data submitted;
(10) Individual nominees and individuals in a group practice must
be free from convictions or pending investigations of criminal and
health care fraud offenses such as felony health care fraud, patient
abuse or neglect; felony convictions for other healthcare-related
fraud, theft, or other financial misconduct; and felony convictions
relating to unlawful manufacture, distribution, prescription, or
dispensing of controlled substances as verified through the Office of
the Inspector General List of Excluded Individuals
[[Page 57188]]
and Entities. https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/background.asp
Individual nominees must be free from serious sanctions, such as
those for misuse or mis-prescribing of prescription medications. Such
serious sanctions will be determined at the discretion of the agency
consistent with CDC's public health mission. HHS/CDC's contractor may
perform background checks on individual clinicians or medical
practices.
(11) Health systems must have a written policy in place that
conducts periodic background checks as described in (10) on all
providers and takes appropriate action accordingly. In addition, a
health system background check may be conducted, as deemed necessary,
by HHS/CDC or an HHS/CDC contractor that includes a search for The
Joint Commission sanctions and current investigations for serious
institutional misconduct (e.g., attorney general investigation). HHS/
CDC's contractor may also request the policy and any supporting
information deemed necessary.
(12) Must agree to accept the monetary prize and be recognized if
selected, and agree to participate in an interview to develop a success
story that describes the systems and processes that support VTE
prevention. Champions will be recognized on HHS/CDC Web sites.
Strategies used by Champions that support VTE prevention may be written
into a success story, placed on HHS/CDC Web sites, and attributed to
Champions.
An individual or entity shall not be deemed ineligible because the
individual or entity used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal
employees during a competition if the facilities and employees are made
available to all individuals and entities participating in the
competition on an equal basis.
By participating in this challenge, an individual or organization
agrees to assume any and all risks related to participating in the
challenge. Individuals or organizations also agree to waive claims
against the Federal Government and its related entities, except in the
case of willful misconduct, when participating in the challenge,
including claims for injury; death; damage; or loss of property, money,
or profits, and including those risks caused by negligence or other
causes.
By participating in this challenge, individuals or organizations
agree to protect the Federal Government against third party claims for
damages arising from or related to challenge activities.
Entrants who are a U.S. federal hospital, multi-hospital system,
hospital network or managed care organization that provides inpatient
medical care for patients may apply for non-monetary recognition. No
monetary prize will be awarded.
Entrants who are an international hospital, multi-hospital system,
hospital network or managed care organization that provides inpatient
medical care for patients may apply for non-monetary recognition. No
monetary prize will be awarded.
Registration Process for Participants
To participate, interested parties will navigate to
www.challenge.gov. On this site, nominees will have access to the
nomination form. Information required of the nominees on the nomination
form includes:
The organization name, address, and contact information of
the nominee.
The size, scope, and general demographic characteristics
of the nominees' patient population.
Details regarding the nominee's VTE prevention strategy
and implementation including the population(s) observed, intervention,
and methods of implementation. Examples of strategies include
implementation of sustainable systems or processes that support VTE
prevention. These may include but are not limited to implementation of
VTE protocols and order sets, risk assessment, electronic alerts,
clinical decision support tools, performance monitoring systems and
dashboards, patient and/or provider education and post-discharge
follow-up.
A description of the observed results of the VTE
prevention strategy including the pre-implementation and post-
implementation measures for the observed VTE prevention activity.
Examples of outcome measures include but are not limited to the number
of patients assessed for VTE risk, the number of at risk patients
receiving appropriate VTE prevention, and the number of patients and/or
providers receiving education on VTE prevention.
A brief summary of the barriers and successes to
implementation.
The VTE prevention rates achieved should be for the organizations
entire patient population observed as outlined in their strategy and
intervention methods, not limited to a sample. Data on subpopulations
is allowed, but must be inclusive of all patients seen during the
stated time period of study. Examples of ineligible data submissions
include VTE prevention interventions limited to treatment cohorts from
clinical trials of novel anticoagulant drugs.
The estimated burden for completing the nomination form is 30
minutes to 1 hour.
Amount of the Monetary Prize
An estimated 7 of highest scoring U.S. hospitals, multi-hospital
systems, hospital networks and managed care organizations will be
recognized as HA-VTE Prevention Champions and will receive a cash award
of $10,000. A maximum of $70,000 will be awarded in this challenge.
Additional honorable mention awards, pending availability of funds, may
be made if the judges identify more than 7 deserving entries. Federal
and international winners will receive non-monetary recognition but no
prize.
Payment of the Monetary Prize
Monetary prizes awarded under this challenge will be paid by
electronic funds transfer and may be subject to Federal income taxes.
HHS will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and
reporting requirements, where applicable.
Basis Upon Which Winner Will Be Selected
Challenge submissions will be evaluated by a panel of three to five
judges (CDC, HHS agencies such as the Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and
external industry experts) using the information provided on, and in
accordance with, the nomination form. The judges will score the
nomination form using a rubric based on the following evaluation
criteria: methods (30% of score); results (50% of score); and
feasibility/utility (20% of score) of the strategy and interventions
associated with the intended outcome of interest. Nominees with the
highest score will be required to participate in a process to verify
their data. Final selection will take into account all the information
form the nomination form, the background check, and data verification.
Geographic location and population treated may be used to break any
ties in the event of tie scores at any point in the selection process.
An estimated 7 organizations will be recognized as prize winners.
Some Champions will participate in a post-challenge telephone
interview. The interview will include questions about the strategies
employed by the organization to achieve high rates of VTE prevention,
including barriers and facilitators for those strategies. The interview
will focus on systems and processes and should not require preparation
time by the Champion. The estimated time for the interview is one
[[Page 57189]]
hour, which includes time to review the interview protocol with the
interviewer, respond to the interview questions, and review a summary
report about the Champion's practices. The summary will be written as a
success story and will be posted on the CDC Web site.
Additional Information
Information received from nominees will be stored in a password
protected file on a secure server. The challenge Web site may post the
number of nominations received but will not include information about
individual nominees. The database of information submitted by nominees
will not be posted on the Web site. Personal information collected and
stored from nominees will only include general details, such as the
organization name, address, and contact information of the nominee.
This type of information is generally publically available. The
nomination form and submission will collect and store only aggregate
clinical data through the nomination process; no individual
identifiable patient data will be collected or stored. Confidential or
propriety data, clearly marked as such, will be secured to the full
extent allowable by law.
Information for selected Champions, such as the hospital or health
system's name, location, VTE prevention outcomes, and practices that
support HA-VTE prevention will be shared through press releases, the
challenge Web site, social media, and other HHS/CDC resources. Summary
data on the types of systems and processes used to increase VTE
prevention will be shared in documents or other communication products
that describe generally used practices for successful VTE prevention.
HHS/CDC will use the summary data only as described.
Compliance With Rules and Contacting Contest Winners
Finalists must comply with all terms and conditions of these
official rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all
requirements herein. The finalists will be notified by email,
telephone, or mail after the date of judging.
Privacy
Personal information provided by entrants on the nomination form
through the challenge Web site will be used to contact selected
finalists. Information is not collected for commercial marketing.
Winners are permitted to cite that they won this challenge.
The names, cities, and states of selected Champions will be made
available in HHS/CDC's educational materials on VTE prevention and at
recognition events.
General Conditions
HHS/CDC reserves the right to cancel suspend, and/or modify the
challenge, or any part of it, for any reason, as HHS/CDC's sole
discretion.
Dated: September 15, 2015.
Sandra Cashman,
Acting Director, Division of the Executive Secretariat, Office of the
Chief of Staff, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2015-23990 Filed 9-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
