Allowable Investments Search Tool
In general, SHIP allowable investments include activities to assist small rural hospitals with their quality improvement efforts and with their adaptation to changing payment systems through investments in hardware, software and related trainings. This includes aiding with value and quality improvement.
Unallowable investments include, but are not limited to, travel costs, hospital services, hospital staff salaries, or general supplies. Hospitals should contact their State Office of Rural Health (SORH) with questions regarding the appropriateness or fit of a certain activity or hardware/software purchase. For additional clarifications, refer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
This tool classifies a number of example investment activities as Allowable, Unallowable, or PO Pre-Approval. This is not a comprehensive list. It is only intended to provide examples of allowable SHIP activities.
Costs or fees associated with completing a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) do not qualify as a SHIP Allowable Investment.
Updated: May 20222
SHIP funds cannot be used for financial assessments, therefore would not be allowable. See language under Use of Funds.
Unused SHIP funds cannot be transferred to another participating hospital.
Indirect costs in addition to the allocated amount per hospital are allowable.
Indirect Cost Calculation - Grantee may request the lesser of 15 percent of the award total or their current HHS Cost Rate Allocation. Indirect costs are deducted from the total award amount, not in addition to the total award amount. Grantees are not required to take Indirect Costs.
Education/training for provider-based rural health clinic quality improvement reporting, including patient satisfaction survey scores, is allowable.
Any training to support coding and reimbursement, documentation, or documentation improvements that result in increased coding compliance are allowable.
Billing and Coding training for employees working in an RHC and/or provider-based primary care clinics are allowable if the practices are owned by a critical access hospital (CAH).
Voice recognition system for dictation to support increased quality, efficiency, and/or coding is an allowable use of SHIP funds.
A 340B Drug Pricing Program training intended to increase efficiency or quality improvement in support of Prospective Bundling and Prospective Payment Systems initiatives is an allowable investment.
Refrigerators used to keep and store medicines or medical supplies are not an allowable use of SHIP funds.