Managing the Flex Program

Future funding for the national Flex Program is dependent on strong program planning, operations and demonstrable outcomes through reporting. This can only be accomplished through competent program management on the part of state Flex Program leadership. State Flex Program proficiency in the following areas contribute to excellence in Flex Program management:

  • Managing the grant
  • Managing contracts and consulting services
  • Continuously assessing the program
  • Regularly reporting grant progress and outcomes

Related Content

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Flex Grant Guidance

The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program was created by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) in 1997 (revisions occurred through the Balanced Budget Refinement Act (BBRA); the Medicare, Medicaid and SHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act (BIPA); and the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA)).
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2018 Flex Program Fundamentals

The Flex Program Fundamentals is a manual for those intimately involved with the Flex Program. We hope the Flex Program Fundamentals manual is useful both as a resource for current Flex Program staff and as an orientation manual for new staff.
Manual

Federal Grant Writing Manual

The purpose of this manual is to help applicants prepare for and write a federal grant proposal. It covers the basics of looking at what a grant is and if the applicant is qualified and then delves deeper into the art of grant writing. It also includes information on project sustainability and how to evaluate the project.
Past Document

The Grant Project Life Cycle: A Grant Subcontract Management Guide

September 14, 2016

This guide is designed to target opportunities within the Flex grant to improve the scope of work requirements for subcontracted consultants. It will assist state programs in building greater accountability with their subcontractors to deliver more meaningful information to improve program deliverables, reporting and demonstrating measurable program outcomes.
Document

Flex Program Evaluation Toolkit

Provides information, tools and resources to effectively collect data and assess the activities performed for the Flex Program. The current direction of the Flex Program involves moving all of the state-level Flex Programs to a minimum standard of reporting on outcomes.

Document

Engaging Subcontractors and Partners in Demonstrating Outcomes

This presentation provides tips using examples from the Flex Program on working with subcontractors, stakeholders and partners in ways to demonstrate outcomes. The content includes a template budget tracking and program activity sheets as well as an example contract for services with a subcontractor.

Document

State Flex Program Logic Model

This document lays out the basic process for developing and integrating Logic Model into the state Flex Program.
Document

PIMS Data Collection Tool

An Excel-based data collection tool designed to collect participation and improvement data over one grant year to enable accurate reporting of PIMS measures at the end of the grant budget year.

Website

HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB)

The HRSA Electronic Handbook (EHB) allows agencies to conduct their federal grants management activities and processes online using EHB. All the steps in the grants management process namely, planning and solicitation through closeout, can be efficiently carried out online, substantially reducing the turnaround time for awarding grants.
Website

Contact Information for State Flex Profiles

Annually, the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC) collects information from each of the 45 state Flex Programs. This information is shared with the goal of assisting and encouraging the programs to learn from each other. State Flex Profiles include information on program activities to support critical access hospitals, best practices and success stories, as well as information on the structure of the state Flex Program and contact information.

This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB1RH24206, Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Grantees, $1,100,000 (0% financed with nongovernmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.