Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP)

Angie LaFlamme
218.216.7022
rhptp@ruralcenter.org

The Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) provides technical assistance and training for rural healthcare providers to build capacity in value-based care (VBC), with emphasis on efficiency, quality, patient experience, and safety. The program's goal is to guide small rural hospitals and Rural Health Clinics that are not currently participating in VBC to prepare for participation in a health system focused on value.

Five hospitals and clinics will be selected to receive focused, focused onsite or virtual technical assistance (TA) to help leaders and providers transition to value-based care (VBC) and prepare for population health management. Services include:

• Consultations and coaching to support the implementation of best practices and adoption of recommendations for the transition to VBC strategies
• Assessment and training in the areas of efficiency, quality, patient experience, and safety of care
• Assessment of the organization's readiness for assuming financial risk
• Access to learning collaboratives designed to support project implementation and sustainability
• Access to the Health Education and Learning Program (HELP) webinar series focusing on a variety of advanced payment models and/or VBC topics
• Recommendation Adoption Progress (RAP) follow-up calls

Eligibility requirements include:

• Eligible small rural hospital, defined as a non-federal, short-term general acute care hospital that: (1) Is located in a rural area as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d) and (2) Has 49 available beds or less, as reported on the hospital's most recently filed Medicare Cost Report
• Located in a rural area, defined as either: (1) Located outside of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA); (2) Located within a rural census tract of a MSA, as determined under the Goldsmith Modification or the Rural Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs); or (3) Is being treated as if being located in a rural area pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1395(d)(8)(E)
• Eligible hospitals may be for-profit or nonprofit, including faith-based. Hospitals in U.S. territories as well as tribally operated hospitals are eligible to the extent that such hospitals meet the above criteria.

In addition, applicant organizations must:

• Not be currently participating in an Advanced Alternative Payment Model (APM), as defined by CMS, or the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model
• Be financially stable
• Be interested and motivated to become part of an APM
• If required, be meeting quality data reporting requirements of Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR), Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR), or Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP)
• Not be a current participant in the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program, Vulnerable Rural Hospital Project, the Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project or any program that is duplicative in services

Specific benefits of participation are listed on the program website.

A link to the online application form is available on the program website.

Application assistance:

• Program video
• Frequently asked questions