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.
Architecture design and/or drafting consulting costs or fees do not qualify as a SHIP Allowable Investment. Consulting fees of any kind are not allowable unless they are part of education and training.
Costs or fees related to bank services that create efficiency, but are not presented as training, do not qualify as a SHIP Allowable Investment.
If training is provided to staff to increase efficiency or quality improvement in support of ACO or shared savings related initiatives, for example, revenue cycle management, this type of fee would qualify as a SHIP Allowable Investment.
ACO fees are an allowable investment under the ACO category, as long as the hospital identifies how they will define progress to align with the state office’s SHIP goals.
The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) process requires a fee at enrollment and then the rural health clinic implements changes by going through training that provides quality or efficiency improvement training in support of Value-Based Purchasing initiatives. This is an allowable investment. However, the application renewal fee each year would not be considered allowable.
Medical credentialing costs and fees do not qualify as a SHIP Allowable Investment as they are ongoing operational costs.
Library fees and services that are used strictly for training access or material and not ongoing operational access can be an allowable use of SHIP funds but requires PO approval.
Expenses incurred by hospital staff to travel to meetings or training such as mileage, food, per diem, lodging, and airfare do not qualify as a SHIP allowable investment.
Reporting (prior, ongoing, or post-event) completed to manage attendees, staff, or volunteers and event operations is not an allowable use of SHIP funds.
Cost of paying screeners placed at facility entrance doors to protect patients and employees and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Costs associated with staff couriering COVID-19 tests to a laboratory.
Digital meeting technology software purchases to conduct digital/virtual meetings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by maintaining physical distancing and reducing facility traffic.
Costs associated with increasing staff salaries, recruitment, retention, bonuses, incentives, or benefits such as hazard pay, employee childcare, housing allowances, travel allowances (not associated with COVID-19 courier services), meals, snacks, or other incentive benefits. See Screening Staff, Testing Staff, Courier Staff, or Travel Nurse for more information.
Costs associated with staff time spent on COVID-19 testing.
Costs associated with hiring, retaining, or relocating travel nurses or travel nurse services.
Costs associated with designing and implementing employee burnout/mental health strategies.
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).
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.
Strategic planning development and implementation sessions that include staff training are allowable uses of SHIP funds. This could include Systems performance training in support of ACO or shared savings-related initiatives.