1. 2009 CAH Financial Indicators Report coming in August!
The Flex Program Monitoring Team, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, will be releasing the 6th issue of CAH Financial Indicators Reports for individual ND hospitals in August 2009. This report includes comparative financial performance indicators designed specifically for CAHs. In mid-August, CAH administrators will be receiving a letter in the US mail from the Flex Monitoring Team (sample pictured below) which will contain their username, password, and instructions on how to access their report.
This report and website have a number of helpful resources (available at no charge) including:
The CAH Financial Indicators Report, Issue 6 (the Report)
Hospital Indicator Values by State and Peer Group
State Median
And more!
If you have any questions or have not received your letter by September 1, please email the CAH Financial Indicators Team at cah.finance@schsr.unc.edu.
2. 2010 Network Planning Grant guidance - now available
Grant guidance for the 2010 Network Planning grants is available at www.grants.gov, Announcement Number HRSA-10-020. HRSA's Office of Rural Health Policy has been administering these grants for several years now but there are important changes for this competition. The scope of the $85,000 one-year grants has broadened and we're looking for applications for general community health planning purposes. So, applicants could focus on a wide range of possible projects such as:
Strategic health planning at the community level
Assessing the economic impact of health care in a rural community
Promoting collaboration between providers such as Critical Access Hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers
Conducting a community needs assessment
Conducting local health workforce planning
Hire a consultant to conduct HIT readiness
The change in the program is recognition that what many rural communities need is general planning money to identify issues and bring together key partners to develop plans to address those challenges. The Office plans on funding 20-25 new awards in 2010. The deadline for applications is September 14, 2009. Awards will be announced in February 2010 for a March 1, 2010 project start date.
Interested applicants should read the revised guidance to understand the new focus of the grants and see if it meets their needs. If you are interested in applying, you will need to register in grants.gov. There will be a TA Conference call for prospective grantees on August 18, 2009. Please contact Mary Collier, mcollier@hrsa.gov to register for the call. It is also recommended that communities consult with their State Office of Rural Health when applying as these entities can be an important partner and resource in this process. If you have any programmatic questions, please contact Eileen Holloran, eholloran@hrsa.gov or 301-443-7529.
Contact Marlene Miller, marlenemiller@medicine.nodak.edu or 701-777-4499 if you’d like assistance with applying for the grant. The Flex Program provides technical assistance such as critiquing grant proposals, brainstorming ideas, connecting resources and partners, facilitating planning meetings, and more.
3. New CAH – St. Joseph’s in Dickinson
Reed Reyman, CEO advised that St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dickinson received CAH designation effective June 30, 2009. Join the ND Flex Program in welcoming St. Joseph's Hospital in Dickinson as the state’s 36th CAH!
This service is provided by the Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program Steering Committee (Center for Rural Health, North Dakota Department of Health, and the North Dakota Healthcare Association). It is supported by the federal Office of Rural Health Policy, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Contact Marlene Miller at (701) 777-4499 with questions or comments.
