Toolkits

This collection of financial and operational resources directs you to consultant recommended best practices and strategies for improving financial performance and increasing operational efficiencies. These tools include industry accepted key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring performance. Other resources include revenue cycle best practices and financial management training for both critical access hospitals (CAHs) and prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals. Implement these best practices and adopt the recommended strategies to position your hospital and/or network for the future.

Health Equity is the condition under which individuals are provided the resources they need in order to have access to the same opportunities for health, as the general population.  

Health Information Technology (HIT) is an operational component for health services in rural communities to improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of health services and to assist providers in managing population health. Health care and community providers use HIT to transfer, save, secure and recover information electronically and provide access to care within health care and community settings. 

This collection of resources focuses on leadership development for rural leaders from the Board through mid-level management.

The Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) is a quality improvement activity under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) program of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP).

The health care industry is undergoing profound change and is growing increasingly complex. There is a need for performance improvement in health care organizations, even those in rural communities, to adapt to changing market forces that are moving payment structures from fee-for-service payments based on volume to one that is focused on value. This change also impacts health care delivery models and is defined by improved health, better care, with smarter spending. This perspective is driving changes in the health care system at all levels. Performance improvement seeks opportunities to reduce costs, improve quality and improve the health of patients and the community and monitor whether those opportunities are being successfully addressed. A variety of tools and processes are available to help organizations improve their strategic, financial and operational performance.

The Population Health Toolkit brings together tools and information to support improving your awareness as your organization journeys into population health management. We believe that the future of health care depends on creating a movement toward wellness but that this should be done in a holistic approach using community data and systems thinking. This toolkit is continually updated with resources to do just that.

Quality improvement involves the systematic and continuous analysis of performance with the goal of accomplishing measurable improvement in services and outcomes. The most effective and successful organizations consistently review their services, processes and outcomes to identify areas for potential improvement. This quality improvement collection will assist you to access resources to enhance performance in a number of areas related to health care, including clinical, leadership and operational growth.

Assess the core competencies of a rural ambulance agency to provide broader service and greater value patient care and access in rural America. This self-assessment and the associated resources will assist rural ambulance agency leaders to succeed in moving from volume to value in their agency’s culture and operations. 

While rural health care organizations have always worked to minimize staff turnover, the current environment has made workforce sustainability a critical issue. The good news is that organizations of all sizes have a great number of tools at their disposal to maximize the sustainability of their existing workforce by optimizing processes, fostering cultures of engagement and learning, and thinking proactively about the future.

Here, SHIP State Grantees can find information to apply for and administer the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program funds supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy as well as reporting templates for annual SHIP reports.