Federal Register #2026-19234

Award of Supplemental Funding for Rural Health Program Evaluation and Technical Assistance

This award notice from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, provides supplemental funding to support rural health program evaluation and technical assistance. - Government Buyer: - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Federal Office of Rural Health Policy - Award Recipients: - Regents of the University of Minnesota - National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, Inc. - Services Requested: - Expanded analysis, evaluation, and dissemination activities for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and State Flex Programs - Includes new data analysis, feedback on annual CAH assessment, and development of resources for tribal hospitals - Expanded technical assistance, capacity-building, and coordination for State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) and rural stakeholders - Funding Amounts: - $420,000 to the Regents of the University of Minnesota - $345,000 to the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, Inc. - Unique Requirements: - Use of new Flex Program data for analysis - Development of resources to assist tribal hospitals in evaluating provider type conversion - Enhanced dissemination and technical assistance for rural health stakeholders - No specific OEMs or commercial vendors are referenced; awards are for programmatic services and evaluation activities.

Description

HRSA is awarding supplemental funding under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program Evaluation Cooperative Agreement to one award recipient in fiscal year 2026. The funding aims to expand analysis, evaluation, and dissemination activities that support Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and State Flex Programs. The recipient will use the funds to conduct additional analysis using new Flex Program data, enhance dissemination activities, and develop new resources to assist tribal hospitals in evaluating the feasibility of converting to another hospital provider type.

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