Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex)

1 Project Abstract Project Title: Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program Applicant Organization Name: University of Kentucky, Research Foundation Address: 500 South Limestone, 109 Kinkead Hall, Lexington, KY 40526-0001 Website Address: http://ruralhealth.med.uky.edu/kentucky-office-rural-health Project Director Name: Matthew Coleman Flex Coordinator Name: Medina Tipton Contact Phone Numbers: 606-439-3557 Email Address: [email protected] and [email protected] The Kentucky Office of Rural Health (KORH) is pleased to submit its application for funding under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program. This initiative aims to support critical access hospitals (CAHs) and rural emergency medical services (EMS) in quality improvement, financial stability, and community alignment, ensuring high-quality healthcare services are accessible to rural populations. KORH recognizes the evolving healthcare landscape, emphasizing value-based care and innovative models, and thus proposes strategic interventions across four program areas: 1. CAH Quality Improvement: Enhancing quality reporting, performance benchmarking, and care integration to elevate the standard of care provided by CAHs. 2. CAH Financial and Operational Improvement: Ensuring the financial stability of CAHs by implementing strategies for efficient operations and sustainable financial practices 3. Rural EMS Improvement: Strengthening rural EMS services to ensure timely and effective emergency response and pre-hospital care. 4. CAH Designation (upon request): Assisting rural hospitals in obtaining CAH designation, providing resources for their transition into the rural healthcare delivery system. Despite challenges posed by the changing healthcare environment, KORH remains committed to supporting CAHs and rural EMS agencies to adapt and thrive. Major focuses of the Kentucky Flex Program throughout the five (5) year Flex project period will be encouraging and assisting the twenty-nine (29) CAHs in the state to report and improve their Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) scores, to support financial improvement in CAHs across the state through trainings and technical assistance, and to work towards improving the leadership education and quality reporting of Emergency Medical Services in rural Kentucky. Work will be accomplished and completed by the Kentucky Office of Rural Health Flex Program as well as through contractual partnerships with rural health contractors, as selected through a competitive request for proposal, as well as including other partners across the state. Grant No.: HRSA-24-002 Applicant Name: University of Kentucky Research Foundation