HEROES Frequently Asked Questions

The HEROES program is casting a wide net for the types of organizations that are eligible to be Health Accelerators. Organization types can include but are not limited to: Academic medical centers and universities, hospital or provider systems, private equity, non-profit organizations, etc. Proposers are welcome to enter into agreements with multiple entities to apply as a coalition/umbrella organization. The only exclusion is that Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs and Government Entities) may not propose as a prime performer.

Only one organization can serve as a Health Accelerator (HA). This could be a single entity, or a consortium of organizations that have legally formed an overarching entity.

Additionally, a single HA will have separate agreements, independent of the ARPA-H award, with partner organizations that would establish the nature of their collaborative relationship(s). ARPA-H’s agreement and contractual relationship, however, will only be with the Health Accelerator. ARPA-H will only disburse earned reward payments to the prime awardee (Health Accelerator) of the Other Transaction Agreement.  

Yes – see the draft Program Solicitation, Section 3.1.2. Ultimately, non-U.S. entities may participate to the extent that such participants comply with any necessary nondisclosure agreements, security regulations, export control laws, and other governing statutes applicable under the circumstances. Non-US entities are encouraged to collaborate with domestic U.S. entities as ARPA-H may prioritize awards in accordance with 42 USC 290(c)(n)(1). 

Outcome buyers will supplement ARPA-H's $15M investment using a 2-1 match. Please note, the match is not a requirement, but a goal. Once ARPA-H funding is exhausted, further reward payments (targeted at a 2:1 match for ARPA-H funds or $30 million total) would be paid proportionally from contributions by other Outcome Buyers.   

Investors provide funding for the proposed technical solution proposed to ARPA-H. Health Accelerators need to finance the proposed cost of their technical solution. Health Accelerators will either self-fund or find at-risk investors to support the implementation of interventions that are designed to meet the health outcomes targets at a low enough cost to profit from the reward payments. Investor returns will be in accordance with the terms and conditions stipulated in the independent contracts (e.g., between a Health Accelerator and investor).  

The HEROES program has a 3-year performance period as will all resulting ARPA-H awarded agreements. There is no requirement that Outcome Buyer funding continues beyond the 3-year period. However, HEROES aims to create new markets for funding prevention. We anticipate Outcome Buyers will see value they are receiving from the Health Accelerator’s interventions and continue to purchase outcomes beyond the 3-year performance period. 

Unlike other value-based care programs or federal grants, ARPA-H is only interested in the outcomes. The level of coordination, integration, and collaboration between program participants and those implementing the program is at the discretion of the Health Accelerator. Health Accelerators, Outcome Buyers, and Investors will enter into contractual agreements that govern the flow of dollars. 

Health Catalysts do not need to have Outcome Buyers and Investors identified at the abstract stage. The requirements for abstract submission will be included in the final Solicitation. Abstracts are not being requested under the current draft Solicitation.  

The final solicitation is anticipated to be posted in April 2024.  

The performance period is anticipated to commence in the 1st quarter of calendar year 2025. The period of performance will only commence once agreements between ARPA-H and Health Accelerators are executed (signed by both the Performer/Health Accelerator and the Government).  

These outcomes were chosen following discussions with major federal health authorities and rigorous reviews using a rubric that prioritized public health impact, diversity of ages and populations, presence of highly effective enabling technologies or practices that could be scaled to have impact quickly, well-accepted upstream metrics known to affect long-term outcomes, and availability of data at the population level. ARPA-H may consider adding additional outcomes in the future.  See HEROES Draft Program Solicitation for additional details pertaining to the four specific health outcomes of interest to the program. 

ARPA-H is agnostic to the interventions or methods Health Accelerators use to improve performance on their selected outcome. Health Accelerators should model their interventions based on evidence-based practices. Health Accelerators should select intervention activities and tactics that work best within their selected regions and populations.

Geographies should be selected at the Zip-3 or county level depending on the outcome of focus. 

Yes. Health Accelerators must choose geographically contiguous areas. Selected geographies can cross state borders. Each selected geography must meet the minimum populations target to qualify. This is explained in the HEROES Draft Program Solicitation Section 1.5.1 Table 1. 

Yes. Table 4 is incorrect. The corrected table 4 can be found in question 14 of the updated Questions and Answers document (dated February 22, 2024) found in the attachments/links section of the SAM.gov posting: https://sam.gov/opp/6d12f3cb5f894cd58a8459640e99ee85/view

 

ARPA-H will use the HEROES Outcome Toolkit to track improvements in the health outcome metrics selected by the AHAs relative to the adjusted baseline and national averages. If the improvement meets the criteria for payment, ARPA-H shall release funds. See section 1.7.1, “Reward Payments for Performance (AHAs Only)” for additional details. Performance will be assessed every 6 months.  

The control group is based on the baseline for the national trend for the outcome. The national trend will be adjusted using covariates such as income, ethnicity, and age. Please note, the final covariate are subject to change. 

Data to assess performance will be updated as close to real-time as possible. For Opioid Overdose and Alcohol-Related Health Harms), data are available as early as two weeks, based on the geography. For Maternal Health, the lag is approximately 90 days, whereas, for Heart Attack and Stroke risk, the lag is approximately one month. 

ARPA-H will issue any reward payments earned directly to the prime performer. The division of the reward payment among team members, to include potential subawardees is up to the discretion of the prime performer. The allocation of the reward payment earned will likely be captured in the terms and conditions of the agreements prime performers will put in place with subawardees, which ARPA-H is not privy to. It is ARPA-H's expectation that any such reward payment would be allocated based each entity's scope of work.   

There exists a number of programs in the Value-Based Care space. ARPA-H views these programs as complementary to the HEROES program. Participation in these programs does not preclude participation in HEROES.  

Proposers’ Days will be held in Washington, DC, February 13-14. There is an option for in-person and virtual attendance. Pre-registration is required regardless of attendance modality. See HEROES Proposer's Day Special Notice.

See HEROES Proposer's Day Special Notice for pertinent details regarding the HEROES Proposers’ Days’ (including the registration deadline). The registration website is: https://arpa-h-heroes.powerappsportals.us/

The agenda for Proposers’ Days’ can be found on the HEROES program webpage.  
 

Yes. You can register as many virtual attendees from your organization as you would like beyond the two in-person attendee limit.

As discussed during Proposers’ Day, we will not be hosting sidebar discussions immediately following Proposers’ Day. Ask me Anything (AMA) sessions will be scheduled in early May after the final solicitation is posted. The schedule (e.g. date/time) and how to register for the AMA sessions will be posted to the HEROES webpage. 

Ask me Anything (AMA) sessions are scheduled for April 29th and May 9th. Information regarding the AMA sessions will be included on the HEROES webpage. This information should be available by April 19th at the latest.  

Yes, the slides and video recordings will be posted to the HEROES webpage. 

Yes! Given the structure, goals, and objectives of the HEROES program, networking and teaming is critical. Thus, ARPA-H is hosting a HEROES Teaming webpage where prospective HEROES stakeholders (Performers/Health Accelerators, Outcome Buyers, Investors) can share their profiles and learn more about other interested parties.  

Entities interested in participating in the HEROES program (as a Health Accelerator, Outcome Buyer, or at-risk investor) are strongly encouraged submit a non-binding Letters of Interest (LOI) as detailed on the HEROES program website. The purpose of the LOI is to gauge interest and to develop a community of potential entities interested in being a part of the HEROES program. Submission of a LOI is not required to submit an abstract and/or proposal. Submission of the LOI helps the Government gauge the level of interest around each of the four Health Outcomes which ultimately will help inform the decision regarding the two outcomes to be included within the final Solicitation. The LOI submission period is open through February 29, 2024.