This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Evaluation Cooperative Agreement. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) is accepting applications for the fiscal year FY 2023 Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Evaluation Cooperative Agreement. The purpose of this program is to improve healthcare in rural areas by analyzing and presenting Critical Access Hospital (CAH) data and capturing best practices to inform improvement efforts and efficiently target limited resources in CAHs. As Flex Program beneficiaries, CAHs will benefit by having resources that provide recommendations related to a number of national priorities:
• Quality of care reporting and improvement
• Financial and operational improvement
• Population health activities
• Emergency medical services integration
Through this program, CAHs will have access to analyses of national, state, and hospital-level data, including reports for the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP), as well as evidence-based best practices to improve their outcomes. Additionally, work evaluating CAH-focused improvement efforts will inform CAHs and State Flex Programs. This work can also include data analysis and evaluation of best practices of CAH associated Provider-Based Rural Health Clinics. This program directly supports CAHs as Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program beneficiaries in carrying out activities of the Flex Program.
