Quality and Performance Improvement Grant Activities under the Flex Program

A review of the 45 grant applications submitted to the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy for Fiscal Year 2005 demonstrated that the State Flex Programs are committed to quality and performance improvement, with 30 percent of requested funding across the states going toward a variety of quality and performance improvement activities spanning a range of clinical, operational, and financial themes. Categories of quality improvement activities included improving clinical, operational, and financial performance; financial and organizational performance; promoting a culture of quality improvement; participating in national quality efforts; implementing health information technology (HIT) systems; and addressing patient safety and satisfaction issues.
State activities acknowledge the different quality measurement needs of rural hospitals through the development of benchmarks and transfer protocols specific to CAHs and other small, rural hospitals. Some state programs proposed activities to build in-state knowledge and capacity and to assess current conditions, particularly in the areas of balanced scorecards, HIT, and patient safety. The Flex Program?s grant-making capacity supports a wide range of local initiatives designed to improve the quality of patient care and hospital operations.