Improving Electronic Medical Records System Utilization and Data Use in Malawi under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) | CDC RFA GH22 2250

Opportunity Information: Apply for CDC RFA GH22 2250

The grant opportunity "Improving Electronic Medical Records System Utilization and Data Use in Malawi under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" is a CDC-funded cooperative agreement designed to help Malawi get more practical value out of the large volume of patient-level information already being collected through electronic medical record systems. Although Malawi has made major investments in point-of-care (POC) EMR systems and the eMastercard system (which captures data retrospectively), and these HIV/TB EMR systems are now implemented across 721 facilities nationwide, the core problem this announcement targets is that the data are not being used consistently or effectively to guide program decisions. In other words, the country has a rich dataset, but it is not yet translating into routine, timely insights that improve HIV and TB service delivery and monitoring.

The focus of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is not simply deploying more software, but strengthening the end-to-end "data use" pathway so the EMR becomes a tool for management and performance improvement, not just electronic storage. The recipient is expected to improve EMR utilization by supporting accurate and timely data capture at the point of care, strengthening data cleaning and data management processes, and building more robust analytical databases. From there, the work extends into data analysis, timely reporting, and the development of dashboards and analytics products that can be used at national, district, and facility levels. The intent is to make EMR-derived information more accessible, understandable, and actionable for the Ministry of Health, CDC, and other stakeholders, so decisions can be driven by current evidence rather than delayed summaries or paper-based tallies.

A key technical theme in the opportunity is the transformation of data from a central repository into structures that are easier to analyze and better suited for program monitoring. The announcement notes that the current EMR data structure primarily supports patient management, which is essential for clinical care, but it can make it harder to generate routine program indicators, trends, and performance summaries without additional processing. Under this NOFO, the recipient would add or adapt data structures so the same underlying clinical data can efficiently support monitoring needs, such as tracking service coverage, retention, outcomes, and other program performance measures relevant to HIV and TB services. This includes building analytical datasets and pipelines that reduce the burden of manual extraction and improve consistency and timeliness.

Another major emphasis is making information useful where care happens. The NOFO calls for facility-linked analytics and dashboards, reflecting the idea that facilities should be able to see and act on their own performance data rather than relying solely on national-level reporting. That kind of localized visibility can help health workers and managers identify gaps in documentation, missed visits, delays in services, and other operational issues, then respond quickly. Alongside the technical outputs, the opportunity explicitly aims to strengthen a culture of electronic data capture so that providers increasingly prefer electronic entry over paper systems. The underlying expectation is that higher EMR utilization and better data quality will reinforce each other: better adoption leads to more complete and timely data, and better feedback through dashboards and reporting encourages continued adoption because staff can see the value of the data they enter.

Administratively, this is a discretionary CDC cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number CDC RFA GH22 2250; CFDA 93.067) under HHS/CDC's Center for Global Health, supported by PEPFAR. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity may apply as long as they meet requirements described in the full announcement. The opportunity anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1). For funding, the notice states an approximate total fiscal year funding amount of $3,000,000 for Year 1, subject to availability of funds, while also listing an Award Ceiling for Year 1 as $0 (none), which typically signals that no per-award cap is being set in the posting even though an estimated total budget is provided. The original application closing date was February 28, 2022, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 pm ET on the due date.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a push to turn Malawi's large-scale EMR footprint into a stronger decision-support and program-monitoring engine. It prioritizes data quality at the source, stronger data management and analytical infrastructure, routine analysis and reporting, and practical dashboards that can be used by facilities and managers, all with the goal of improving how HIV and TB programs are monitored and managed across the health system.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control - CGH in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improving Electronic Medical Records System Utilization and Data Use in Malawi under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.067.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 30, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 28, 2022 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm ET on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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