Guidelines and FAQs

Innovation Category

• What is the Innovation category?

  For this category, we are looking for submissions of innovative initiatives that will make positive, breakthrough change in the care of serious illness.

  Submissions of initiatives will take place throughout the month of October 2023 (October 1-31, 2023).

• How do we submit our initiative?

  You can submit your initiative now, October 1-31, 2023. Innovations must be submitted through the web-based submission form. Please note that you will be taken to a separate website, where you will be asked to create an account.

• What should the innovations focus on?

  There are no defined areas of innovation for this Challenge. We welcome inspiring initiatives that stem from all areas of care.  These can include, but are not limited to, health equity, COVID-19, upstream palliative care, spread of skills, and much more.

• Can my organization participate in the Innovation category if we are not a CAPC member?

  You do not have to be part of a CAPC member organization to participate in this category of the Challenge. This category is focused on innovation and is open to all health care organizations nationwide. CAPC membership, however, enables you to use all of CAPC’s courses for skill-building and CAPC’s breadth of technical assistance. If your organization is interested in becoming a CAPC member, contact us at 347-835-3367 or [email protected].

• Is this a challenge for organizations or individuals?

  This is a Challenge between organizations. Individuals, or groups of individuals, must submit on behalf of their organization. Multiple organizations may collaborate on a single initiative and may sign up and submit together.

  You can submit your initiative now, October 1-31, 2023.

• Can multiple organizations work together?

  Yes! Multiple organizations may collaborate on a single initiative and submit together. Please choose one person (“lead author”) for the submission, to avoid duplicate entries. The lead author can list co-authors on the website submission form.

• Are there any specific submission requirements for the Innovation category?

  Your innovation will be judged based on the merit of six criteria: Impact; Outcomes; Feasibility; Scalability; Equity; Sustainability. Initiatives must have started after January 1, 2019, and been implemented long enough to show outcomes.

  The online submission form will prompt you to submit the following:

  Innovation Title (10-word max)
  Choose a name for your initiative, which easily identifies your initiative and distinguishes it from any other innovations.

  Innovation Description (25-word max)
  Provide a short description for your initiative in one or two sentences.
  

  Innovation Summary (150-word max)
  Write a clear overview of your initiative that addresses the following:

  A brief description of the problem that you solved; how you solved it; resources required; target population; how your solution changed the lives of your target population, including traditionally marginalized people within that population

  Impact (500-word max)
  Provide an overview of the impact of your initiative using the below as guidance:

  How does your initiative address a problem that needed to be solved? Expand on the impact that your innovation has had on the intended population. Has your initiative influenced multiple people or a large population, or did it have a significant impact on a small, vulnerable population? Is your initiative likely to be expanded or replicated in the future? Did it garner positive reactions from your leadership or partners?

  Outcomes (500-word max)
  Provide evidence of your initiative’s impact using the questions below as guidance:

  What were the results of your initiative? How did you measure the impact of your initiative? Please describe both quantitative measures and qualitative feedback, where applicable. How did the results compare to the specific objectives you originally identified and planned for? Did the design of your initiative draw from an established evidence base?

  Feasibility (750-word max)
  Describe the feasibility of your initiative using the questions below as guidance:

  What was the plan for implementation, including key tactics, measurable objectives, methods, strategies, and tools? When did the initiative implementation start? Who were key internal partners for implementing the initiative? Please share their role and if a clinician, their discipline (e.g., medicine, nursing, social work). Who were key external partners for implementing this initiative? Please share their titles and organizational affiliation. How was your initiative funded? What were the skills and resources necessary to accomplish the initiative? Did you encounter any difficulties with the implementation of your initiative, and if so, how did you handle them? Were other organizations involved in your innovation?

  Scalability (500-word max)
  Describe how your initiative was and/or could be scaled using the question below as guidance:

  Does the initiative have the potential to be adapted, such as expanding to new populations, or reaching a larger group of people over time, all while retaining its effectiveness? If so, how?

  Equity (500-word max)

  Describe how health equity was considered using the questions below as guidance:

  Did the design of your initiative take health equity into account in terms of access to services, care delivery, or any other considerations? How were these considerations incorporated into your initiative? Were patient, family, or community feedback incorporated into the planning and design process?

  Sustainability (500-word max)
  Describe the sustainability of your initiative using the questions below as guidance:

  Will the initiative have a sustained impact (e.g., institutional adoption; partnerships; potential support from other sources, etc.)? If so, what do you predict that impact to be, and how will you measure it? Were the effects of the innovation immediate or will they be seen long-term? Does the team have the skills, capacity, relationships, and experience to sustain the initiative? Does the initiative have buy-in from institutional leadership? Describe your financial sustainability plan for the initiative.

• What is the timeline for the Innovation category?

  You can submit your initiative now, October 1-31, 2023. Winners will be announced in February 2024.

• What is the judging process?

  CAPC will use a scoring rubric to assess submissions. All submissions will be scored and winners selected by a panel of CAPC expert faculty.

  Participants will be required to address the following areas for evaluation: Impact, Outcomes, Feasibility, Scalability, Equity, and Sustainability.

• Can we compete in both categories?

  CAPC member organizations can compete in both categories.

  If you work for a nonmember organization, you can still participate in the Innovation category.

• Will we be able to upload supporting materials?

  While supporting materials are not required, you may upload up to four (4) relevant documents to the online submission website. This includes photos, videos, and PDFs. Make sure that any documents such as PowerPoint decks, Microsoft Word documents, etc. are converted to a PDF prior to upload. Additionally, any URLs (e.g., YouTube video, link to a website) can be included in a PDF.

• Are there examples of submissions from the previous round?

  You can review the work from previous winners and finalists on the Winners and Finalists page. For the winners, you can click each project name for extensive details. For the finalists, you can click each organization name to expand the summary of their initiative.

• Can we have multiple entries in this category?

  Yes. It is fine to submit more than one entry for this category.

• Is there a local Challenge for New York City in this category?

  No. The local New York City competition applies only to the Clinical Training category (see above). Learn more here.

  New York City-based organizations, however,  are encouraged to compete in the Innovation category as well, but this category is national only. You do not have to be a CAPC member to compete in the Innovation category.

• I still have questions. Is there someone who can help?

  For any questions about the Tipping Point Challenge, please email Melissa Baron at [email protected].