Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Recipients Cooperative Agreement

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Recipients Cooperative Agreement. The purpose of this program is to improve health care in rural areas by improving the quality and financial viability of health care providers in rural communities through technical assistance to beneficiaries of Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) initiatives, such as award recipients, Critical Access Hospitals, small rural hospitals, and rural communities. This program directly supports Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program beneficiaries in carrying out activities of the Flex Program. The objectives of this program are the following: • To provide assistance, capacity building, and support to Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility program (Flex) recipients; • To provide assistance, capacity building, and support to Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) recipients; and • To provide assistance, capacity building, and support to Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), small rural hospitals, and rural communities. Assistance will be provided in the areas of: financial and operational performance improvements and benchmarking; community engagement and population health initiatives; provision of rural emergency medical services; quality improvement; and building capacity to participate in alternative payment models. For more details, see cooperative agreement recipient’s responsibilities.