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.
Voice recognition system for dictation to support increased quality, efficiency, and/or coding is an allowable use of SHIP funds.
Unused SHIP funds cannot be transferred to another participating hospital.
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).
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.
Travel and lodging fees for contractors to get to a SHIP training can be covered. The hospital or network should request an invoice with all related training fees (including time, travel, and lodging) bundled as one single deliverable.
NOTE: SHIP Guidance doesn't approve travel for hospitals and state offices.
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys completed for inpatient services are an allowable use of SHIP funds.