Physicians will be among those eligible to apply for Health Care Innovation Challenge Grants, announced this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. The Challenge is a $1 billion program to test creative ways to deliver high quality medical care and reduce costs. CMS says the grants will go to applicants who implement the most compelling new ideas to deliver better health, improved care and lower costs to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Insurance Program (CHIP), particularly those with highest health care needs. The grants are funded through the Affordable Care Act.

Grants are expected to range from approximately $1 million to $30 million over three years and will support programs that can begin within six months. Applications are open to physicians and other health care providers, payers, local government, community-based organizations, and particularly to public-private partnerships and multi-payer approaches. Each project will be evaluated and monitored for measurable improvements in quality of care and savings generated.

For more information, including a fact sheet and the Funding Opportunity Announcement, visit: http://innovations.cms.gov/initiatives/innovation-challenge/index.html.