This page outlines the process of how the Rural Hospital Stabilization Program (RHSP) reviews and selects hospitals for our technical assistance program.
Step 1: Initial Application Review
RHSP starts by reviewing each online application and scoring it based on key criteria:
Eligibility Check
- Is the hospital currently participating in a similar technical assistance program?
- Is the hospital located in a Delta Region Authority or Appalachian Regional Commission area?
- Is the hospital located in a HRSA rural-designated area?
Narrative Scoring
Next, RHSP reviews the written portion of the application to evaluate alignment between the hospital’s goals and the program’s purpose. Questions considered include:
- What is the vision for how technical assistance can support the hospital’s path to financial stability?
- Describe the hospital’s financial position and capacity to meet financial obligations.
Step 2: Survey Review
Hospitals meeting eligibility requirements receive a survey to help better understand their finances and operations. The survey score is the combined total from all financial and operational questions included in the survey. Questions considered include:
- How has the hospital’s total operating revenue trended over the last three years?
- How has the hospital’s outpatient volume trended over the last three years?
Step 3: Overall Scoring and Ranking
Each application receives a final score using a standard formula. Hospitals are then ranked based on their scores, from high to low.
Overall Score = (Survey Score + Narrative Score) x Readiness Score
Step 4: Application Review Calls
Based on overall scores, hospitals are invited to participate in an application review call. The review call will cover leadership commitment, governance and organizational readiness, and the alignment between hospital needs and RHSP services. We ask questions such as:
- What does the hospital believe it would take to increase patient volume?
- Are there any concerns about your hospital team’s capacity to implement action plans that would expand services?
- Is the Board ready, willing, and able to implement strategies to improve performance?
- What are the key reasons for the hospital’s current financial trends?
Step 5: Final Selection
Selected hospitals are contacted to confirm continued interest and availability to participate in RHSP.
Non-selection
Hospitals not selected for participation may still be invited to join a virtual learning collaborative or referred to other FORHP-funded rural hospital support programs.
Understanding "Readiness"
To help hospitals receive the full benefit of our support, RHSP uses a Readiness Score for each application. This Readiness Score helps us balance all the pieces—your capacity, current workload, and leadership—to understand how ready your hospital is to move forward with program participation. Here’s what we look at:
Complete Application
Is the online narrative portion filled out completely? Doing so allows us to fully understand the hospital’s needs.
Financial Data
Is the hospital’s key financial data included in the application? Providing this allows us to identify how to best support the organization.
Current or Recent Projects
- Large, active projects that impact multiple hospital areas (such as switching EHR/EMR systems) may make it harder for organizations to fully take advantage of the program.
- Facility-focused projects (such as constructing new clinics or major renovations) may stretch a hospital’s capacity to fully participate in the program.
- Recently completed projects or projects still in progress may mean a hospital is already moving past some challenges, or still wrapping up a couple of hurdles. The more details you can provide us, the better we can understand your hospital's challenges and needs.
- A hospital with no current projects may suggest it is in a good position to participate fully in receiving technical assistance.
Other Program Participation
Hospitals should not currently be participating in another technical assistance program.
Key Leadership in Place
Does a hospital currently have both a CEO and a CFO/Controller? Having strong executive and financial leadership ensures the hospital can act on the technical assistance provided.