WASHINGTON – Applications for the $6 million project for higher education institutions that want to develop competency exams for a new healthcare IT workforce are due Jan. 25, and details will be critical to success, said Charles Friedman, deputy national coordinator for healthcare IT.

The two-year project is one of the government's HITECH priority grant programs administered by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Healthcare IT.

The deadline for letters of intent to apply is this Friday (Jan. 8), Friedmen said Wednesday. Letters of intent are not required, he said, but would be helpful to ONC planning.

Details and documentation will be critical to a successful application, he said. Applications should include biographies and detailed experience of the key people who would be responsible for the project.

"In general, document the experience," Friedman said. "Don't just say they have it. The more detail you nail down, the better."

The application should also include a detailed budget, he said.

The grant is slated to be awarded March 18 to one institution of higher learning or a consortia.

The exams for non-degree training will measure competency of six IT roles:

1. Practice workflow and information specialists;
2. Clinician/practitioner consultants;
3. Implementation support specialists;
4. Implementation managers;
5. Technical software support staff; and
6. Trainers in health IT

Friedman offered these tips for  prospective applicants:

• The budget should include all indirect costs.
• Faculty experts should provide domain content.
• Content will be validated by stakeholders.
• Exams must be professionally developed.
• The first 10,000 exams must be administered at no cost.
• The grantee has to develop a framework for sustaining the exam program.