Each year the office focuses on issues in rural health that our stakeholders and communities have identified as important.
Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (FLEX)
The purpose of the FLEX grant is to provide support to the 64 Critical Access Hospitals in Nebraska. This federal grant program has focused on improving the quality of health care services, initiating financial and operational improvement and strengthening the emergency medical services system (EMS). Some of the major programs funded under FLEX are the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project, TeamSTEPPS and Lean Management.
Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP)
The federally-supported SHIP grant program provides about $9,000 to 65 small hospitals in Nebraska. This program supports Prospective Payment System (PPS) activities (e.g., staff training for the ICD-10 transition), activities that improve the quality of care (e.g., software to reconcile and reduce medication errors) and data collection activities (e.g., inpatient and out-patient Hospital Compare data).
Health Workforce Shortage: The Office is working with many partners to collect best practices and ideas for the creation of strategic action plan to address present and future workforce shortages.
The Office of Rural Health works with other stakeholders at a national level to address national, regional and state rural health issues.
The Nebraska Rural Health Association's Annual Conference is co-sponsored by our Office.
Documents
List of Critical Access Hospital Network Affiliations Map
List of Critical Access Hospitals and Contacts Map
Critical Access Hospital Finance 101
Telehealth Resources
Telehealth: The Big Picture
Telehealth Policy Barriers
Telehealth Reimbursement
Telehealth Technologies and Preparing to Select a Vendor
Funding for Telehealth: Administration, Clinical, Technology & Broadband Services
Contact: Nancy Jo Hansen OR Margaret Brockman