Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Evaluation Cooperative Agreement

Background
The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Evaluation Cooperative Agreement is aimed at improving 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. The program directly supports CAHs as Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program beneficiaries in carrying out activities of the Flex Program. 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.

Grant Details
The program aims to provide recommendations related to national priorities such as quality of care reporting and improvement, financial and operational improvement, population health activities, and emergency medical services integration. It will also include data analysis and evaluation of best practices of CAH associated Provider-Based Rural Health Clinics.

The program will work in cooperation with other FORHP programs to monitor and evaluate state-level grant activities, providing resources that analyze best practices related to national priorities. The period of performance is from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2028 (5 years).

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include domestic public or private, non-profit entities, institutions of higher education, faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations. Cost sharing/matching is not required for this program.

Period of Performance
The period of performance for the contract is from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2028 (5 years).

Grant Value
The anticipated FY 2023 total available funding is $1,615,000 annually. The estimated number and type of award is one cooperative agreement with an annual award amount of up to $1,615,000 per year.