Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP)

he overarching goal of the Kentucky Office of Rural Health (KORH) is to ensure that the Small Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP) is implemented in the most efficient and effective manner possible. In addition, the KORH will assist the small rural hospitals in achieving the purpose and objectives of the grant, improving the quality and access to health care in the rural communities of Kentucky. The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant program will provide 39 small rural hospitals in Kentucky funding towards their costs for implementing data systems required to meet requirements established under the Medicare program pursuant to amendments made by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Pursuant to Section 1820(g)(3) of the Social Security Act, these 39 small rural hospitals through the Kentucky Office of Rural Health collaborating with the Kentucky Hospital Research and Education Foundation and networking with the Hospital Association Consortium of Kentucky will use their funds: 1) Related to value based purchasing hospital can purchase training and/or software related to the implementation and reporting of MBQIP data collection, HCAHPS training and/or software related to data collection, and/or efficiency training. 2) Related to Accountable Care Organizations hospitals can purchase hardware/software related to the disease registry, and/or efficiency training. 3) Related to Payment Bundling/PPS hospitals have the choice to purchase ICD-10 training and software if and only if the hospital is already participating in MBQIP and HCAHPS. Kentucky is the 16th most rural state in the nation, 41.6 percent of Kentuckian’s live in rural areas. The state has a significantly higher than average proportion of the population that is subject to chronic illness and death, and has a higher than average percentage of the uninsured. According to the 2010 Census, 87.8 percent of the state’s population is Caucasian, 7.8 percent is African American and 3.1 percent is of Hispanic/Latino origin.