NC Office of Rural Health is seeking applications for the 2024-2026 Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program.
Donor Name: NC Office of Rural Health
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/08/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The purpose of these Flex Program funds is to improve the quality of care provided by CAHs by focusing on improvement of financial and operational and quality measures as guided by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. These funds will support a technical assistance model that includes group and individual projects with the 20 CAHs in North Carolina.
The Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (FLEX Program) is a federal grant program directed to State Offices of Rural Health to support:
- Improving the quality of health care provided in communities served by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)
- Improving the financial and operational performance of CAHs
- Developing collaborative regional and systems in CAH communities
Funding Information
The maximum total per grant year cannot exceed $350,000 per year. Year One funding (September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2025) must be expended by August 31, 2025. Year Two funding (September 1, 2025 – August 31. 2026) must be expended by August 31, 2026.
Criteria
This grant will be awarded to an organization or organizations to perform the following activities:
- Plan, conduct, manage, and facilitate statewide and (if requested) regional meetings of CAH executives in a forum where they can learn and share best practices, receive technical assistance on improving quality, financial and operational areas, receive technical assistance on population health strategies; investigate primary care capacity, develop innovative model ideas, and assist with workforce recruitment and retention. The statewide and/or regional meetings require contractor attendance/participation.
- Plan and implement individual technical assistance projects with CAHs, or a network of CAHs, to identify opportunities for, and initiate, improvements to quality, financial and operational performance.
- Organize collaborative networks for CAHs to share best practices and work together on various quality improvement initiatives.
- Engage CAHs in submitting quality performance data as required by the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP).
The activities will be performed with intent to improve CAH performance in the following areas:
- Key financial indicators identified by the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT)
- Inpatient core measures as defined by MBQIP.
- Outpatient core measures as defined by MBQIP.
- Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores
- Emergency Department Transfer Communication (EDTC) reporting.
For more information, visit NC Office of Rural Health.
