Frequently Asked Questions

About The Program

What is the HEROES program?

The HEROES Program provides organizations with tools and technical support to improve health care in large, geographically defined populations through new technologies and strategies. The program will track changes in health outcomes using select metrics and offer economic rewards for improvements. The incentives, or outcomes payments, will be paid to HEROES Program participants (Health Accelerators) via a pre-specified rate card for improving the selected health outcome.

What is the HEROES Outcome Toolkit?

The HEROES Outcome Toolkit is an interactive website for the HEROES Program that displays data geographically for select health outcomes across the United States. It is a resource for Health Accelerators and/or the public to explore, measure, or track specific health outcomes in various geographic regions.

Do you have to be a Health Accelerator or HEROES Program participant to use the HEROES Outcome Toolkit?

No, the toolkit is available to anyone who would like to use it.

How is ARPH-H assessing a Health Accelerator’s performance in achieving improvements in their benchmarks for their selected outcome?

ARPA-H will use a difference in difference approach to calculate a Health Accelerator’s performance. Performance will be adjusted based on the national trend for the selected outcome. The payment schedule will follow a predetermined rate card for each outcome. Performance will be assessed every 6 months.

Metrics

Can I use a different dataset to track the outcomes of my intervention?

The toolkit is the method that all health accelerators will be required to use to track their progress towards reaching their goal for their selected health outcome.

What is the electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) for Severe Obstetric Complications (ePC-07)?

The ePC-07 measure identifies patients with severe obstetric complications that occur during inpatient delivery hospitalization. The measure follows the Centers for Disease Control’s guidance in identifying 21 factors that classify as severe obstetric complications, including sepsis, blood transfusion, ventilation, and more. You can learn more about this measure in the Severe Obstetric Complications Electronic Clinical Quality Measure (eCQM) Methodology Report or the eCQI Resource Center.

Can I download the raw data from the HEROES Outcome Toolkit?

No, the raw data are not available for download.

What is NEMSIS?

NEMSIS (National Emergency Medical Services Information System) collects emergency medical service (EMS) data from U.S. states/territories to provide a national system that not only standardizes the collection, storage, and use of data but also can inform ways to continuously improve emergency medical services.  

Selecting Areas For Intervention

How do I define a target area?

The target area should reach the designated number of individuals, which is driven by the chosen health outcome. Priority will be given to applications where selected areas of interest are contiguous.

What is a “target area”?

The target area is the geographic area in which the intervention will be implemented.

What does “area of suitability” mean?

The “area of suitability” is the minimum population size and health outcome rate required for a selected geographic area of interest to be eligible for the HEROES Program.

What does ZCTA3 mean?

Each county on the map is listed by its ZCTA3 (zip code tabulation area), which is the first three numbers of the area's zip code. The information provided also includes the county's population size.