Rural Hospital Stabilization Program

stabilization@ruralcenter.org

The Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) provides technical assistance for rural hospitals to help improve financial stability by enhancing or expanding healthcare services that meet community needs.

Assistance may include comprehensive financial and operational assessments, education, one-on-one coaching, peer-to-peer sharing, and other forms of customized assistance.

Benefits of participation:

• Enhanced and expanded service lines
• Financial stabilization
• Operational efficiency
• Quality improvement
• Community awareness and perception

Eligible applicants include Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals, Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs) and Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals, regardless of bed size. Eligible hospitals must also meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Be a rural hospital as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration
• Be a short-term, non-federal general facility located outside Metropolitan Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) or located within Metropolitan areas in locations with Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes of four (4) or greater
• Be a facility in any location participating in Medicare as a CAH or REH
• Be a hospital operated by tribes and tribal organizations under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Public Law 93-638, as amended) and/or operate as a CAH or REH

Additional information:

• Eligibility requirements
• Participant expectations

The program is provided at no cost to participants.

Selected hospitals that meet program expectations may receive financial support for operating and equipment costs for service line development and a Community Engagement Champion.

RHSP online applications are accepted on a rolling basis and may be submitted any time during the year. Applicants not selected to participate in the current program cycle will be considered for future cycles.