Rural Hospital Flexibility Program: Small Hospital Improvement

Mission

The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP) provides grants to small rural hospitals to assist them: 1) pay for costs related to the implementation of prospective payment systems (PPS), 2) comply with provisions of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, and 3) reduce medical errors and support quality improvement.

Overview

The Alaska State Office of Rural Health (SORH) on behalf of all small rural hospitals located in Alaska received funds to support 16 eligible rural hospitals.

Goals/Objectives

The goal of the Small Rural Hospital Improvement grant program is to foster quality improvement.

Objectives

• Support the eligible hospitals to achieve improvements in each of the areas in which they have chosen to concentrate their grant funds.
• Encourage rural hospitals in the continued development of a Hospital Performance Improvement Network (ASHPIN-Alaska Small Hospital Performance Improvement Network) to function as an effective tool to meet the needs of the participating hospitals.
• Maintain a streamlined program administration so benefits to the hospitals continue to exceed the resources both they and the Alaska SORH must commit to the program development and implementation.
• Assist the Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) to coordinate the implementation of the objectives and activities under the quality assurance goal of the Alaska Rural Hospital Flexibility Program with their activities under the SHIP funds.

Links

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - http://www.hrsa.gov
• Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association (ASHNHA) - http://www.ashnha.com/
• Alaska’s Small Hospital Performance Improvement Network - http://www.ashpin.org/

For More Information:

George Ives, Small Hospital Improvement Program Coordinator
George.Ives@alaska.gov
907-269-3445