With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the ABIM Foundation is accepting grant applications from organizations that promote the goals of the Choosing Wisely campaign, which is aimed to reduce the use of unnecessary tests and treatments in U.S. health care. The grant program focuses directly on reducing utilization of inappropriate tests and treatments through initiatives that involve delivery systems, hospitals and medical groups working in collaboration with multi-stakeholder community-based groups and physician-led organizations. All grantees must focus on reducing the widespread utilization of antibiotics for viral-based illnesses and measure results for acute bronchitis1. They must choose a second test or treatment on which to focus from the following list of interventions:

• annual Pap tests for women between the ages of 30-65;
• imaging for uncomplicated headache;
• imaging for nonspecific low back pain;
• pre-operative stress testing;
• percutaneous coronary intervention for stable ischemic heart disease; and,
• carotid artery stenosis screening in asymptomatic patients.

Finally, grantees will choose to focus on at least one additional test or treatment that is referenced in Choosing Wisely. ABIM Foundation expects to fund only seven organizations with approximately $315,000 each. The anticipated grant period is from May 15, 2015 to March 14, 2018.  Applications are due March 20, 2015.