Brem COVID-19 Emergency Initiative - Request for Proposals

COVID-19 has turned our world upside down - medically, economically, and emotionally. Every moment, we are focused on saving lives from COVID-19. We are expanding ICU’s, shutting down businesses, closing schools, and keeping people home. But tomorrow will come. When it does, we must be ready to overcome the challenges that have arisen because of this crisis. One enormous and inevitable challenge is the lack of breast care and an increasing inability of patients to pay for that care. 

Breast cancer screening is on hold during the COVID-19 crisis. Critical breast diagnostic tests are still being performed but far fewer than women need. When the “stay at home” mandate and social distancing guidelines are lifted, there will be a huge crush of women needing screening and diagnostic tests. Many of these women will have lost their jobs or suffer from drastically reduced wages. Breast centers will be overwhelmed by the backlog. We anticipate later stage diagnoses, diminished ability to afford care, and enormous healthcare costs.

Statement of Need

The Brem COVID-19 Emergency Initiative funds breast diagnostic and screening tests for women in need who cannot access breast care because of the pandemic.  Institutions who receive funding  from this initiative must demonstrate that their receiving patient body is eligible for support under their existing financial assistance policy, experiencing financial need because of COVID-19, cannot afford breast diagnostic tests because of COVID-19, and cannot be enrolled in any other financial assistance program within two (2) weeks of experiencing breast symptoms requiring diagnostics tests or having abnormal screening mammograms.

Eligibility Requirements

Each eligible entity must:

  • Exhibit that it has breast diagnostic capabilities or that it officially partners with entities that have breast diagnostic capabilities. 

  • Breast centers and breast center partners need not have all available breast diagnostic technologies but must have the capacity to perform, or outsource, biopsies, when needed.

  • Entities must be committed to equal access to breast care and breast diagnostic tests regardless of patients’ race, nationality, religion, color, gender or socio-economic status.

  • Entities should demonstrate that they are providing breast care and diagnostic services to women that are eligible under their existing financial assistance policy or were significantly financially impacted by COVID-19. 

  • Use means including, but not limited to, patient navigators, social workers, mobile mammography units, and translators, for medically-underserved patients to reduce barriers to accessing individualized breast screening and diagnostic services.

  • Have a financial assistance policy and must share that policy with the Brem Foundation as part of this RFP.

  • Applicants must make concerted and reasonable efforts to explain the benefits and eligibility criteria for Medicaid and other available public and private financial assistance programs to patients, or patients’ guarantors, and make available to those patients the information on programs that may provide coverage for breast diagnostic services and associated costs.

*Brem's geographic focus is the DC Metro area. Entities beyond that scope are considered on a limited basis. 

Use of Funds:

Funds must only be used to pay, in part or in whole, for breast diagnostic tests including but not limited to:

  • Breast biopsies

  • MRI

  • Screening mammography

  • Diagnostic mammography

  • Ultrasound

  • Molecular Breast Imaging

  • Pathology costs associated with breast diagnoses

Funds may not be used for:

  • Salaries for employees involved with breast care

  • Costs associated with any post-diagnosis care, regardless of whether a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer

  • Transportation to and from breast diagnostic exams

  • Administrative costs

  • Educational material

  • Equipment, even equipment used for breast diagnostics

  • Research

COVID initiative supported breast tests and associated costs, whether fully or

partially funded by the Brem, must be charged at grantee’s negotiated Medicaid

rates.

Funding Requirements:

To be considered for a Brem COVID-19 Emergency Initiative award each applicant must submit the following in its RFP submission:

  • Statement of Need

  • Intended Use of Funds

    • Every applicant must outline its intended use for granted funds. This must include projected numbers of patients utilizing the funds as well as the types of diagnostic tests that will be funded by the granted amount.

  • Adherence to Financial Assistance Policies

    • Every applicant must agree to use the same financial assistance policies in determining financial eligibility for assistance as it does for determining financial assistance eligibility to patients being treated at the applicant’s facility or facilities. 

    • Should the entity determine that a patient is in need of diagnostic breast care and is experiencing financial hardship,  but falls outside the entity’s financial assistance policy, the Brem Foundation authorizes the entity to use sound judgment in providing assistance to the patient in need. Entities must identify those patients who received assistance through this grant but fell outside of the entity’s normal financial assistance criteria and explain their circumstances in reports to the Brem Foundation. 

  • Intention to limit use of funds to the named entity

    • Funds awarded to an eligible entity may only be used by that entity. Any entity using funds as part of a partnership program with other breast centers must inform the Brem Foundation of its partners in its application and must share this RFP, as well as a signed MOU, with those partners. To use awarded funds at partner breast centers, those partners must agree to abide by the terms of this RFP. 

  • Amount

    • Applicants must request the award amount for a twelve (12) month timeframe. 

Dates

  • The Brem Foundation will accept applications beginning May 1st. Applications are due June 15th for distribution  by July 1st. RFP Release:  May 1, 2020

  • Applications Due: June 15, 2020

  • Fund Distribution: July 1, 2020

  • First Report Due: January 1, 2021

  • Second Report Due: June 31, 2021

Award Requirements

  • Adherence to the applicant’s financial assistance policy or evidence that funds dispersed served an individual who was significantly financially impacted by COVID-19.

  • Biennial Reports

    • Awarded entities must provide the Brem Foundation with reports on January 1, 2021 and June 31, 2021. The report must be completed on an Excel form provided by the Brem Foundation. The report will Include:

      • Medical center administering breast diagnostic tests

      • Patient’s County & State

      • Patient’s insurance status

      • Patient’s race

      • Potential barriers to receiving screening

      • Date of breast diagnostic test

      • Amount of time between abnormal screening mammogram and breast diagnostic test (if known)

      • Type of diagnostic test performed

      • Result of test

      • Final pathology and diagnosis

      • Stage patient was diagnosed if applicable

      • Cost of breast diagnostic test

      • Amount Brem contributed

      • Amount patient paid out of pocket

  • HIPPA Compliance

    • All reports must be in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local law, including but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

  • Grant Cycle

    • The grant cycle is for twelve months beginning July 1, 2020. No new grant applications will be considered until all original funds have been used. 

  • Statement of Impact

    • Along with biennial reports, the entity shall  supply a statement of impact regarding how the awarded funds have changed the way that the entity was able to care for women in need of breast diagnostics. 

Patient Testimonials and Marketing: 

If possible, awarded entities will provide the Brem Foundation with patient testimonials and photos about how the granted monies have helped them. The entity would authorize the Brem Foundation to use such testimonials in seeking funding and in marketing materials (including but not limited to it’s website, e-newsletters, paper mailings and social media). The Brem Foundation requests that any entity receiving funds agrees to put the Brem Foundation name and/or logo on its website and other appropriate marketing materials as a partner.

Application Review and Decision

Organizations will receive notification via email to the address used in submission to verify receipt of their application. Each application will be carefully reviewed by Brem’s selection committee.

All applicants will be notified via email regarding the Brem Foundation’s decision. All beneficiaries will be required to sign a formal MOU between the Brem Foundation and the recipient organization.

Submission:

  • All grant applications should be submitted in electronic form to [email protected]

  • Please provide name, email address, physical address and telephone number of primary contact for the grant application.