The State Office of Rural Health administers this federally-funded grant program to provide assistance to qualifying small rural hospitals.
Each year the categories for which funds can be requested change. For federal fiscal year 2010 (Sept. 2010 - Aug. 2011), the grant program aims to assist eligible facilities with:
- Costs related to implementing or upgrading Prospective Payment Systems (PPS), chargemasters, and billing/coding processes
- Development of Payment Bundling processes
- Development of Value Based Purchasing (VBP) programs and implementation of Hospital Compare
- Reducing medical errors and supporting quality improvement through the develoment of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
SHIP eligible facilities must submit applications to the State Office of Rural Health and meet all eligibility requirements defined by the federal grant guidance.