NIH LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC GRANT SUBMISSION
Beginning with the small business grant programs on Dec. 1, 2005, and transitioning program by program through May 2007, NIH will require all competing grant applications to be submitted electronically through the federal online portal of www.grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R), a new standard form set created by federal agencies involved in research and research-related grant funding. All NIH grant applications (new applications, revisions, continuations, renewals, AIDS, and non-AIDS applications) will be affected by this transition. The NIH adjusted the implementation timeline for electronic application submission to provide an additional four months (one submission round) before the transition of the NIH traditional research grant (R01) mechanism and all subsequent mechanisms. Once a grant program is transitioned, paper applications will no longer be accepted for that grant program.
This major change in the way NIH has traditionally conducted its grants business will have a significant impact on the applicant community. NIH has many resources available at its Electronic Submission of Grant Applications Web site (http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt) to help grant applicants along the way. NIH encourages applicant organizations to:
- Review the transition timeline to determine when a research grant program of interest is switching to electronic submission.
- Complete the one-time registrations on both Grants.gov and eRA Commons at least two to four weeks before planning to submit an application.
- Familiarize itself with the instructions for the new SF424 (R&R) in the application guide, especially the agency specific instructions.
- Avail itself of the training resources, including slide and videotape presentations, brochures, and upcoming training sessions.
NIH encourages hematologists to stay informed by registering now at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.htm.
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Take Action
The Congress is beginning its federal appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2007. Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) received $28.62 billion, a $253 million or 0.9 percent increase. However, an across-the-board 1 percent rescission on all FY 2006 discretionary spending was also approved. For NIH, the cut means a loss of approximately $280 million in FY 2006. With NIH's FY 2006 increase of only $253 million, this year the Institutes will be operating at a funding level $30 million below the FY 2005 enacted level.
As this issue of The Hematologist was going to press, it was expected that President Bush would propose only a small increase for the NIH in FY 2007, probably in the range of 1-2 percent. Therefore, it is crucial for all researchers to contact their Senators and Representatives to help ensure that Congress gets the message that both hematologists and their patients want the House and Senate FY 2007 budget proposals to include more funding for NIH research. To easily contact Congress and urge support for additional NIH funding, members can visit the ASH Advocacy Center at www.hematology.org/takeaction.
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NEWS HEADLINES FROM WASHINGTON
Hematologists Appointed to Senior Positions at NIH
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, MD, has appointed Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, Acting Director of the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), effective March 3 when Dr. Allen Speigel leaves the NIH to become Dean at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Rodgers has served as Deputy Director of NIDDK since 2001 while continuing in his role as Chief of the Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch in the Institute. He has been with the NIH since arriving in 1982 as an NRSA Fellow.
NHLBI Director Elizabeth Nabel, MD, has appointed Susan B. Shurin, MD, Deputy Director of the NHLBI. An active and respected researcher in the hemoglobinopathies, Dr. Shurin has been recognized as a distinguished leader of university programs and professional organizations throughout her career. She has served as a member and Chair of the ASH Scientific Committee on Pediatric Hematology.
Changes in Medicare Physician Reimbursement
As this issue of The Hematologist was going to press, several changes to Medicare physician reimbursement were anticipated. Please check the Policy and Practice section of the ASH Web site for the latest information on physician reimbursement.
CMS Modifies Physician Voluntary Reporting Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it had modified the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program (PVRP) to reduce the number of relevant measures from 36 to 16 and lessen the burden associated with reporting data. CMS aims to further develop and improve its remaining 20 measures and possibly include other measures that have been suggested by ASH and other physician groups. More information is available on the CMS Web site (www.cms.gov).
FDA Revises Labeling for Doctors
Prescribing information is expected to become easier to read as a result of revisions announced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Surgeon General Richard Carmona has announced a new look for physician labeling information, known as the package insert, which has long been criticized for reading more like a legal document than a medical one. This is the first major overhaul of prescribing information in 25 years, according to the FDA. The agency's new package insert requirements, published in the January 24 Federal Register, apply to all new drugs as well as those approved in the last five years. Manufacturers of older drugs could adopt the changes on a voluntary basis unless there were a major change, such as an approval for a new use, according to FDA. The revisions take effect on June 30, 2006.
NHLBI Establishes DNA Resequencing and Genotyping Service
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) established a new service to provide quick and reliable DNA resequencing and genotyping of candidate genomic regions that may be important in the disease pathways of heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders. This service will be offered free of charge to qualifying, ongoing investigations of the genetic components involved in the cause, variable outcome, and progression of heart, lung, blood, and sleep diseases and disorders. Services are provided by three laboratory centers capable of performing high-throughput, large-scale DNA resequencing and/or genotyping to discover and type DNA variations. Applications are due by May 1 for the spring submission round and November 1 for the fall submission round. Contact Pankaj Qasba, PhD, in the NHLBI Division of Blood Diseases and Resources with questions at qasbap@nhlbi.nih.gov. More information and applications are available at http://RSnG.nhlbi.nih.gov.
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