State Offices of Rural Health Grant Program (SORH)

The goal of the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) grant program is to assist States in strengthening rural health care delivery systems by creating a focal point for rural health within each State. The program provides an institutional framework that links small rural communities with State and Federal resources to help develop long term solutions to rural health problems. The SORH grant program features a single grantee from each of the 50 United States. The program is a Federal-State partnership that requires a State funding match of $3 for each $1 of Federal funding.
SORH Award Amount (FY06): $156,158

Major Accomplishments in FY 2006 (October 1, 2005 – September 30, 2006):

• Strategic planning for clinics and hospitals throughout the state
• Hosted the 23rd Annual Rural Health Conference
• Field staff worked on full clinic assessments, including the review of clinic indicators, bench marking against state and national levels and code reviews to help practices increase revenue.
• The office has implemented a new CHIP within one central Oregon community. This has resulted in local partnerships working on affordable health insurance options, mental health and addiction services, health lifestyles and health quality issues. They are preparing for similar programs in other central and coastal communities.
• ORH staff provided additional technical assistance regarding the options of converting practices to Rural Health Clinics. These conversion proposals were based on the Governor's designation authority recently granted to Oregon.
• Staff has worked to organize Rural Health Clinics to work with the state in making changes in billing procedures that make reimbursement difficult. This impacts all Rural Health Clinics.
• Reorganized communications with Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Clinics.
• Develop a new electronic newsletter to our statewide base.

SORH Contact Information:
Office: Office of Rural Health
Address: 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, L593, Portland Oregon 97239-3098
Phone: 503-494-4450
Fax: 503-494-4798
Email: ruralweb@ohsu.edu
Director: Scott Ekblad

2) Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program (Flex)

The Flex Program helps sustain access to high quality health care services in rural America. It facilitates the development and support of community-based collaborative rural delivery systems in all grantee States through conversion of hospitals to critical access status, development of rural healthcare networks and integration of EMS.
Flex Award (FY06): $620,873

Program Highlights:

• Number of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) supported: 25
• Number of Critical Access-eligible Hospitals supported: 0, with the sunset of the necessary provider provision, Oregon no longer has any Critical Access-eligible rural hospitals
• Number of Rural Health Networks developed: 3 were developed in FY 06, we worked with over 20 rural health networks
• Number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assisted: 15 agencies were directly assisted. 12 EMS Medical Directors were trained which impacts several additional agencies within each region.
• Number of Rural Communities assisted: 25

Major Accomplishments:

20 of 25 CAHs signed on with Stroudwater’s RPM program to collect data for Balanced Scorecard implementation and to benchmark among peers.
Conducted 3 very successful telehealth trainings across the state with over 40 participants at each meeting from both hospitals and clinics.
Assisted two CAHs to develop transportation solutions for their communities.
Assisted two CAHs with consultation for strategic planning.
Conducted a successful cost report training.
Established First Responder training programs in two rural high schools.
Funded EMT-I training for EMT-I’s to meet new state standards.
Reconvened the EMT Medical Director Forum.
Completed implementation of a statewide Spanish Healthcare Interpreter training program.

3) Small Rural Hospital Performance Improvement Grant Program (SHIP)

The goal of SHIP is to assist small (less than 50 beds) rural hospitals pay for any or all of the following: 1) costs related to implementation of prospective payment systems, (2) compliance with provisions of HIPAA and 3) reduction of medical errors and quality improvement. State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) help eligible rural hospitals to participate in SHIP. Eligible hospitals submit an application to their SORH; the SORH prepares and submits a single grant application to HRSA on behalf of all hospital applicants in the State. There are approximately 1600 eligible hospitals nationwide and each usually receives approximately $9,000.
SHIP Award (FY06): $285,888

Program Highlights:

• Hospitals receiving funding: 32
• Hospitals in consortiums, networks or systems: 22
• Hospitals using funds for QI and /or reduction of medical errors: 30
• Hospitals using grant funds for Health Information Technology: 7

Major Accomplishments:

In 2006, 22 hospitals participated in the Oregon Rural Healthcare Quality Network (ORHQN). The mission of the ORHQN is to achieve high quality outcomes in every rural community by connecting healthcare providers through a network and sharing resources, knowledge and commitment.

Additional information

Total HRSA Funding (FY06): $1,062,253