Maine State Office of Rural Health and Primary Care

Maine State Flex Program

What is one Core Competency your state Flex Program is working on developing through Flex activities?

Selected Core Competency: Managing Information and Evaluation 

The Maine Rural Health and Primary Care Program (RHPCP) is implementing a two-part evaluation process for its program: 1) quantitative measurement and analysis, and 2) qualitative assessment and process improvement. The Maine Flex program is using a Quadruple Aim overarching framework (patient experience, reducing costs, population health and work life of providers), and the data sets to support these aims have been identified for the state.  The Flex Coordinator will examine impacts to these data sets at least annually.  MBQIP (Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project) and quality project specific data is presented and discussed at the hospital and Quality Network meeting levels.  

Additionally, the Flex Coordinator will continually assess the effectiveness of the Flex Network and the performance of staff and subcontractors.  For 2024-2029, an internal evaluation tool, referred to as TAP, has been created.  It focuses on three simple measures to assess implementation:  

T= Timing:  Are we getting activities done on schedule and do they reflect attention to our environment? 
A=Agility:  Do we make and document small program adjustments that improve productivity and outputs when necessary?
P=Products: Are we meeting the goals of the HRSA Flex Program and adhering to our Work Plan to reach projected outcomes?  

Other qualitative assessments will occur within the TAP framework, including evaluations of training initiatives and one-on-one participant interviews.  This strategy has been developed to ensure that all points of operation remain aligned and focused on the dynamic needs of Maine’s rural citizens.

What is one activity your state is funding through SHIP?

The Maine SHIP (Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program) Network has developed a program pathway for Special Innovation Projects. There are 20 CAH/PPS hospitals participating in SHIP.   Through needs assessment, site visits, and network dialogue exchanges, project ideas are identified. Currently, a financial process improvement for care management and a centralized registration project are being developed. The benefit of implementing this process through the network structure is that lessons learned can be shared with all rural hospitals. This dynamic knowledge-sharing process allows all participants to benefit from the experiences of hospitals working on Special Innovation Projects.