Greater Value Portfolio 2024
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In 2024, the Donaghue Foundation’s Greater Value Portfolio grant program will fund research projects for two years with a maximum amount of $400,000 per award (plus a 10% indirect cost rate) to advance promising approaches to achieving a higher-value healthcare system. This program aims to test approaches and tools that organizations can readily use to improve the value of the healthcare they provide to their patients and communities.
Symptoms of Low-Value Care
In the context of the GVP grant program, we prioritize the development of solutions to combat the symptoms of low-value care. Our focus is on fostering a healthcare system where quality, efficiency, and fairness are not just aspirations but achievements realized through the implementation of actionable solutions. Research projects should target and propose corrective measures for the following critical symptoms of low-value care:
- High and rising healthcare costs.
- Unwarranted pricing variations.
- Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access, costs, and outcomes.
- Excessive financial burden of care on patients and families.
- Inconsistency in the quality of care delivered.
- Lack of price and outcome transparency in healthcare services.
For consideration, research topics must demonstrate the potential to test or promote the following:
- Existing care models, coverage, and systems, proposing modifications that address inefficiencies, reduce healthcare costs, and eliminate unwarranted price variations.
- Unnecessary medical treatments, tests, and screenings, where potential harm or financial burden to patients may outweigh the benefits, promoting sustainable healthcare expenditure.
- Tools that assist consumers in making healthcare decisions grounded in value, considering costs and the spectrum of patient-centered factors, all aiming to ensure equitable access and high-quality care.
- New channels for patient-provider conversations that consider the trade-offs in treatment options, emphasizing transparent communication and the financial implications for patients and families.
- Interventions with a focus on delivering higher-value healthcare, particularly those that enhance equitable access, ensure consistent quality of care across diverse populations, and strive for pricing that mirrors the value of healthcare services.
In all programs, the Foundation requires applicants to demonstrate that they have reviewed their research questions, protocols, sampling, and data analyses to ensure that they do not inadvertently mask or exacerbate racial, ethnic, or gender health inequities.
Eligibility Criteria
This program is open to PhD, MD, (or equivalent) investigators at tax-exempt research institutions in the United States. To receive an award, the applicant must partner with an organization that delivers healthcare services or be a researcher based in a research unit embedded in a healthcare organization. Partner organizations cannot be the applicant organization. A fuller description of eligible applicant institutions is in the detailed program description below. Grantees may use this award to augment funding for a project already funded through another grant.
The applicant organization must be a 501(c)3 research institution. Donaghue requires that the applicant organization has adequate infrastructure to ensure:
- Ethical conduct of research, protection of research participants, and appropriate data protections
- Financial monitoring of grant awards and administering any related subcontracts
- Resources to assist the principal investigator with dissemination activities
Application Process
The application process will have two phases. Phase 1 is a letter of intent. After reviewing all letters of intent, we begin Phase 2 by inviting some applicants to complete a more substantial application.
Please be advised that our letter of intent submission process has changed. All LOIs will be submitted through our online submission portal powered by:
The LOI submission portal can be accessed by clicking here. Emailed submissions will not be accepted.
Program Timeline
The 2024 cycle of our Greater Value Portfolio grant program will be announced in April of 2024. If you have any questions, you may contact Shamira Chappell, Program Manager, at chappell@donaghue.org.
| May 30, 2024 | Letter of Intent Deadline |
| September 4, 2024 | Invited Applications Due |
| January 1, 2025 | Grant term begins |
How To Apply
Awardees
2023
Christopher Gillette, PhD
Wake Forest University
"AIMEPCCo: American Indian Men's Experiences with Prostate Cancer Communication"
Partnering organizations: Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of South Carolina
Sarah Roth, PhD
Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE)
"Engaging Hospital Systems to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Persistency & Follow-Up"
Partnering organization: The Providence Health System
Elizabeth Sutton, PhD
Woman’s Hospital
"Testing effectiveness of Her Health Program to add healthcare value in fourth trimester"
Partnering organization: Woman's Hospital
Rishi Wadhera, MD, MPP, MPhil
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.
"Accountable Care Organizations in Medicaid: Reducing Low-Value Care for Working-Age Adults"
Partnering organization: MassHealth
2022
Giana H. Davidson, MD, MPH
University of Washington
“Pharmacy Transitional Team: Evaluating the Value for Patients with Limited English Proficiency”
Partnering organization: UW Medicine
Aimee K. Hildenbrand, PhD
Nemours Foundation
“Leveraging Virtual Reality to Improve Shared Decision Making for Sickle Cell Disease Treatments”
Partnering organization: Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (NCCBD)
Anna Sinaiko, PhD
Harvard University
“Improving Health Insurance Design to Reduce Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Maternal Health”
Partnering organization: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBS MA)
2021
William Dale, MD, PhD
City of Hope
“Geriatric Assessment-Drive Supportive Care Interventions to Reduce Low-value Care in Older Adults with Cancer in the Community”
Partnering organization: City of Hope (multiple campuses)
Mark D. Neuman, MD, MSc
University of Pennsylvania
“Accelerating de-adoption of low-value care for older surgical patients through behavioral economics and patient empowerment”
Partnering organization: US Anesthesia Partners
Rachel L. Epstein, MD, MSc
Boston Medical Center
“Cost-effectiveness and Clinical Outcomes of Liver Disease Staging Evaluations in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection: Strategies to Increase Hepatitis C Treatment Access and Achieve HCV Elimination”
Partnering organization(s): National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, Center for Health Economics of Treatment
Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV, and the Rhode Island Department of
Health
Anna Sick-Samuels, MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins University
“Reducing overuse of respiratory cultures and antibiotic use in mechanically ventilated children across a national pediatric critical care collaborative”
Partnering organization(s): Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Boston Children’s
Hospital
Cassandra Thiel, PhD
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
“Increasing Value through Optimized Cataract Surgical Care Pathways and Supply”
Partnering organization: NYU Langone Eye Center
2020
Hannah Cohen-Cline, PhD
Providence Health Services
“Does a Rising Tide Lift All Boats? Assessing the Direct and Indirect Effects of APMs in Primary Care”
Partner Organization: Care Oregon
Megan Cole, PhD, MPH and June-Ho Kim, MD, MPH
Boston University School of Public Health
“Value and Equity of Telehealth for Low-Income Patients with Chronic Conditions at Federally Qualified Health Centers”
Partner Organization: Community Care Cooperative
Fasika Woreta, MD
Johns Hopkins
“Real-time prescription benefit tools in the electronic health record: working towards greater value for prescribers and patients”
Partner Organizations: Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin, Yale New Haven Health System, Johns Hopkins Health System
2019
Laura F. Garabedian, PhD, MPH
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute
“Impact of an Innovative Payer-Provider Joint Venture on Health Care Value”
Partner Organization: Benevera Health
Mary E. Tinetti, MD
Yale School of Medicine
“Reducing Unwanted Care and Improving Outcomes by Aligning Care with the Health Priorities of Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions”
Partner Organization: Cleveland Clinic Center for Geriatric Medicine
Malini Nijagal, MD, MPH and Courtney Lyles, PhD
University of California San Francisco Medical School
“The Use of Telemedicine to Achieve Higher Value Pregnancy Care for Low‐income, Urban Women”
Partner Organization: San Francisco Health Network
Scott E. Regenbogen, MD, MPH
University of Michigan
“Hospital Strategies for Success in Episode-based Hospital Reimbursement”
Partner Organization: Michigan Value Collaborative
2018
Bryan Dowd, PhD
University of Minnesota
“Incorporating Quality of Care Information into a Tiered Cost-sharing Health Insurance Benefit”
Partner organization: State of Minnesota
Kai Yeung, PharmD, PhD
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
“Value-based Formulary-Essentials: Testing and Expanding on Value in Prescription Drug Benefit Design”
Partner organization: Premera Blue Cross
Sapna R. Kudchadkar, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
“Impact of a Multifaceted Early Mobility intervention on Clinical Outcomes and ICU-acquired Morbidities in Critically Ill children”
Partner organizations: Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida; Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Advocate Children’s Hospital, Park Ridge, Illinois; Boston Children’s Hospital
Nadine Jackson McCleary, BSN MD MPH
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
“Assessing toxicity and adherence of oral cancer therapy with ePROs”
Partner Organization: Dana Farber Cancer Institute
2017
Amol Navathe, MD, PhD
Mitesh S. Patel, MD
The University of Pennsylvania
“The REDUCE Trial‐ Randomized trial of EHR Defaults and Using social Comparison feedback to Effectively decrease opioid prescription pill burden”
Peter Ubel, MD
Duke University
“Examining Best Practices for Factoring Out-Of-Pocket Expenses into Patients’ Health Care Decisions”
Jennifer Raymond, MD, MCR
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
“CoYoT1 to California (CTC) – Telemedicine to Engage Young Adults with Diabetes”
Karen Sepucha, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
“Matching the right person to the right treatment: Shared decision making for high cost elective procedures”
2016 – funded in partnership with the Rx Foundation
Scott Halpern, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
“Behavioral Economics Approaches to Improve Palliative Care for Critically Ill Patients”
Sophia Jan, MD, MSHP
The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
“Long Term Care Planning for Adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities”
Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH
Harvard University
“Just Google It: What is the Impact of Health Care Price Information Being More Accessible to Consumers?”
David Meltzer, MD, PhD
University of Chicago
“Longitudinal Effects of the Comprehensive Care Physician Program”
2015
Jeffrey T. Kullgren, MD, MPH and Eve A. Kerr, MD, MPH
University of Michigan
“Patient, Provider, and Health System Effects of Provider Commitments to Choosing Wisely”
Valerie A. Lewis, PhD
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College
“Demonstrating Methods to Integrate Clinical Care, Public Health, and Social Services with Value-Based Payment Models”
Dale Ellen Lupu, PhD MPH
George Washington University
“Implementing Shared-Decision Making with Chronic Kidney Disease: Testing its impact on improved quality of life and reduced health care costs”