Frontier Community Health Integration Demonstration

The summary for the Frontier Community Health Integration Demonstration grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Frontier Community Health Integration Demonstration: This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) serves as the program guidance for the Frontier Community Care Coordination Demonstration. This activity is authorized under Section 123 of P.L. 110-275, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Provider's Act of 2008 (MIPPA). As required by Section 123(b)(1-2) the purpose of this demonstration is to: 1) explore ways to increase access to, and improve the adequacy of, payments for acute care, and other essential health care services provided under Medicare and Medicaid programs in eligible counties; and 2) evaluate the regulatory challenges facing such providers and the communities they serve. This program brings together key components of a frontier health care delivery system so they can work together to establish or improve local capacity and coordination of care. Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy (HRSA/ORHP) will be funding this activity in preparation for the implementation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) demonstration authorized in Section 123 of MIPPA. The CMS demonstration, which is still under development, will focus on the development of alternative reimbursement methodologies. These alternatives may include, covering at least the reasonable costs of the provider in furnishing acute care, extended care, and other essential health care services to Medicare beneficiaries; coordinating the survey and certification process under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and as appropriate, coordinating access to all service categories included in the demonstration project. Participation in the HRSA-funded activities does not guarantee participation in the CMS demonstration. This funding announcement for the Frontier Community Care Coordination Demonstration is being offered to the following states: Alaska, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming because they are the only states that currently meet the statutory eligibility criteria. Eligible applicants will have the opportunity to apply for two different tracks within this FOA: 1) Frontier Community Health Integration Network Planning Grant or 2) Frontier Community Health Care Network Coordination Pilot Grant. Applicants may not apply to more than one of these tracks and must identify which track they are applying for in their application. 1) Frontier Community Health Integration Network Planning Grants - For applicants that are coming in through this track, there will be three (3), one (1) year planning grants awarded to those States that are eligible for the CMS demonstration authorized in Section 123 of MIPPA to evaluate the regulatory challenges facing such providers and the communities they serve and to prepare eligible hospitals in the State to respond to the CMS demonstration. 2) Frontier Community Health Care Network Coordination Pilot Grant - For applicants that are coming in through this track, there will be one (1), three (3) year grant awarded to an applicant from those States that are eligible for the CMS demonstration authorized in Section 123 of MIPPA, to explore ways to increase access to, and improve the adequacy of, payments for acute care, and other essential health care services provided under Medicare and Medicaid programs in eligible counties. The intent is to support a network that focuses on clinical service coordination by a care coordinator working with community health workers. Their focus would be on improving patient outcomes through improved quality, helping to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, and facilitating independent living for Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those with multiple chronic conditions. The network would also aim to increase access to essential health care services by improving care transitions, specifically those high-cost transitions between distant tertiary care providers and local care providers in frontier areas. For both tracks, networks must consist of at least three separately owned entities. An example of a network might be the State Rural Hospital Flexibility Program grantee, the State Hospital Association, and Critical Access Hospitals.