Health System Innovation Award

The Healthcare Delivery Science program of the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) supports projects that develop and test health system-wide interventions to enhance quality, patient‐centeredness and outcomes of care. The program originated as a partnership with LA County Department of Health Services. It is the intent of the program to not only demonstrate real-world effectiveness of innovations in healthcare delivery, but also to foster the professional development of clinician-investigators and translational scientists as they strive to close the knowledge-to-practice gap in our regional healthcare delivery systems. This solicitation invites Letters of Intent that describe ideas for such projects. More detailed applications for funding will be solicited from a subset of the submitted intent letters.

The SC CTSI will issue one or more grants of up to $125,000 each for up to 24 months to support the implementation and evaluation of interventions that have already been found to be efficacious in improving health outcomes, patient experience, access to care, quality of care, and efficiency. Priority will be given to topics designated by patient groups as high priority (https://sites.usc.edu/hdscenter/our-priorities/).

We encourage submissions from researchers whose projects build on established partnerships and engagement from healthcare system stakeholders. The healthcare system is expected to provide operational support, as well as mentorship by operational leaders. The award is intended to support scientific endeavors that provide value to patients receiving care from the healthcare system within the project period and generate results that support larger scale implementation or further application of the strategies tested in the project. Studies that support applications for secure extramural funding are encouraged but not required. Acceptable funding mechanisms that applicant teams can indicate that they would pursue include, but are not limited to, NIH R01, R21, R03; PCORI, AHRQ, CDC, and CMS Center for Innovation.

This RFA focuses on hybrid implementation effectiveness studies. Implementation refers to the systematic uptake of proven clinical treatments, practices, organizational, and management interventions into routine practice with the intent of improving health. The proposed study design should suit the specific problem and align with healthcare system priorities and guidelines for the RFA. Viable approaches/methods to consider include behavioral economics, design thinking, systems engineering, improvement science, and implementation science. We encourage team science in which people come together from different disciplines. We also encourage disruptive innovation, in which new services are provided at lower cost with greater accessibility.

The expected impact of this program on healthcare systems include enhancing health outcomes, access, experience, and efficiency.

This funding mechanism intends to support teams composed of a principal investigator who is an employed faculty member at USC plus co-investigators at the partnering healthcare system. Teams should include expertise in both research methodology and healthcare system operations. Some potential collaborators with relevant expertise are listed here: Mentors – Southern California Healthcare Delivery Science Center. Multisite collaboration (e.g., with other universities and healthcare systems) is encouraged.

1. Consult with SC CTSI Healthcare Delivery Science Director, who can provide feedback on your idea and team. Request a consultation here.
2. Complete the online Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Science course: Applicants should complete all introductory lectures (including quizzes) and incorporate Healthcare Delivery Science principles into their projects before submitting a Letter of Intent.

   To access the course for free:

   Fill out form: USC Events | HDS Center Certificate Program

   Enter guest code: sniaforfree

   Select: HDS Single Course: Introduction to Healthcare Delivery Science $125
   

3. Obtain a biostatistical consultation if needed. Consultations on study design and analysis plans are available through the SC CTSI: https://sc-ctsi.org/resources/study-design

Applicants should submit a brief LOI that describes:

1. The challenge in healthcare that they propose to address [100 words max]
2. The evidence-based intervention or approach that they propose to implement and test in the healthcare system [100 words max]
3. The expertise proposed for the project, including the names and expertise of the PI, the healthcare system collaborator(s), and other collaborators [100 words max]
4. The healthcare system sites and units to be engaged in the project [no limit]
5. How the project will align with the healthcare system infrastructure and operations [100 words max]
6. The expected impact of the intervention on health outcomes, access, experience, and/or efficiency. [100 words max]

LOIs that do not adequately address all points above will not be invited to submit a full application.

Letters of Intent (LOI) must be submitted by 5pm PST on June 27, 2025 through this website: https://sc-ctsi.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1962560

Questions about the submission process can be addressed to hds@usc.edu.

Letters of Intent will be reviewed by representatives of the SC CTSI, the healthcare system, and patient and family advisory groups to determine the extent to which the proposal:

• Tests a solution for a high-priority, bona fide problem within healthcare;
• Tests solution(s) that is/are aligned with the healthcare system’s specific infrastructure, business approach and operations, i.e., is sustainable;
• Involves broad participation across sites and disciplines;
• Is focused on effectiveness (i.e., whether an efficacious intervention works in real‐life settings), as opposed to efficacy
• Is designed to improve patient access to care, quality of care and health outcomes

This program does NOT support projects that seek to only measure or understand a problem or solution, are proposed as theoretically good ideas, involve a single discipline, or focus on efficacy (whether the intervention works under controlled conditions).

LOIs will be chosen for further consideration within two weeks of LOI submission. Detailed instructions for preparing a full proposal will be provided at that time.

• Kick-off Meeting: May 28, 2025 at 2:30pm via Zoom
• Deadline for Letters of Intent: June 27, 2025
• Invitation to Submit Full Proposal: July 11, 2025
• Receipt Deadline for Full Proposals: September 1, 2025
• Notification of Awardees: September 29, 2025
• Award Start Date: November 3, 2025