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 used to coordinate a mentorship program, training or educational event do not qualify as a SHIP Allowable Investment.
Education/training for provider-based rural health clinic quality improvement reporting, including patient satisfaction survey scores, is allowable.
Software or training to prepare staff and physicians for Quality Payment Program (QPP), which determines payment based on quality, resources use, clinical practice improvement, and meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology is allowable.
Any educational trainings that support provider use and implementation are allowable.
Mid-level manager (MLM) training/education for the “why” and “how” of Value-Based Care and Population Health, and tools and strategies to help MLMs lead others in this time of change are allowable.
Covid-19 related education materials (including vaccination education materials) for dissemination to the public.
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.
Hospital pricing transparency training, software, and hardware are allowable uses of SHIP funds.
Please note: Pricing transparency subscription fees can be covered under SHIP for the first year, but SHIP funds should not be used to cover a hospital’s operational cost year after year. Regarding using funds to pay for consultant or vendor to build a price transparency software, this is NOT allowable. SHIP funds can cover for price transparency training of staff for any software or website done by a consultant, but they cannot cover website development time.
Trainings that improve processes through adoption of best practices and transition to value-based payment strategies such as financial and operational improvements are allowable investments.
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.
Training and/or certification for direct patient care including behavioral health training is not allowable. Examples: SANE-A (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner), PMHCNS-BC (Adult Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist), CTC (Computed Tomography Certification).