South Carolina Office of Rural Health

South Carolina State Flex Program

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

Core Competency: Managing the Flex Program

The Flex Program in South Carolina is dedicated to supporting Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to ensure rural communities have access to high-quality, sustainable healthcare. We provide targeted training and technical assistance to CAHs and rural EMS agencies to help build capacity and promote sustainable improvements in South Carolina’s rural healthcare system. Our goal is to maintain and improve the financial viability of SC CAHs while building their capacity to achieve measurable improvements in community health outcomes. We will provide targeted technical assistance and conduct training sessions tailored to the specific needs of each CAH. Additionally, SCORH will facilitate collaborative efforts among CAHs through Quality Workgroup meetings to share best practices and monitor performance improvements, ensuring that all hospitals are equipped to enhance patient outcomes effectively. Our support for rural EMS focuses on workforce development, operational assessments, and funding assistance to strengthen their organizational capacity and service quality. We conduct assessments of EMS agencies gain a statewide perspective on rural EMS needs and providing focused, in-depth technical assistance based on identified priority areas. We are also focusing on expanding Community Paramedic programs statewide by offering training and support to meet the healthcare needs of rural communities, especially high-risk populations.

What is one activity your state is funding through SHIP?

Accurately coding medical encounters and billing for them appropriately are foundational for a successful and sustainable hospital. The definitions and requirements of this process are updated year after year and can be difficult for small, rural hospital personnel to access this information. With this in mind, the South Carolina SHIP Network provides education for the billers and coders of small, rural hospitals through the annual Billing & Coding Bootcamp and Evaluation Management Workshop. This year we are excited to add support preparing hospitals for the impending transition to ICD-11. All SHIP hospitals have bought into the SC SHIP Network to benefit from these educational opportunities.