Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center | HRSA 22 167

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 22 167

The Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center grant (Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-22-167) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), designed to help rural hospitals and the communities they serve understand and, when appropriate, transition to the new Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) provider model. The central aim is practical: make sure rural decision-makers have clear, usable information to judge whether converting to an REH makes sense for their local health system, and then provide hands-on support for hospitals that choose to convert so they can meet federal requirements and operate successfully under the new designation. Because the REH model was still in the final stages of rulemaking at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the time of the announcement, the recipient is expected to stay closely aligned with CMS final regulations and adjust tools and guidance as those rules are finalized, particularly with the REH start date set for January 1, 2023.

The funded Technical Assistance Center is expected to serve as a national or broad-reaching resource hub that supports rural hospitals through the full conversion pathway, not just a one-time planning exercise. HRSA lays out three major objectives for the awardee. First, the center must help hospitals assess whether the REH model is feasible, which typically involves evaluating financial viability, operational readiness, community needs, and how a shift in service delivery would affect patients and partners across the local continuum of care. Second, the center must assist hospitals with the process of applying to CMS for REH designation, meaning it should be able to guide applicants through regulatory expectations, documentation, timelines, and common compliance pitfalls. Third, the center must provide ongoing support after designation so newly converted REHs can implement or redesign services and maintain compliance with REH standards over time, recognizing that operational changes often continue well after formal approval.

A key feature of the program is that the awardee must work at two levels simultaneously. On one level, it should develop resources that can be broadly disseminated, such as toolkits, checklists, templates, decision guides, training materials, webinars, and other standardized products that many rural hospitals and communities can use. On another level, it must be capable of providing deeper, individualized technical assistance to specific hospitals and their communities, tailoring support to local circumstances such as service capacity, geographic isolation, referral patterns, and workforce constraints. The notice highlights several issue areas where rural hospitals are likely to need support, including detailed financial analysis (with explicit mention of how to apply the REH Alternative Monthly Payment), workforce and staffing planning, establishing referral relationships and care coordination processes, selecting and defining appropriate REH service lines, assessing community health needs, and understanding broader impacts on the local health system, including emergency medical services (EMS) and related emergency response infrastructure.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals that HRSA expects substantial involvement in coordinating, guiding, or collaborating with the recipient during the period of performance rather than operating purely at arm's length. The opportunity anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $2,500,000. Eligible applicants are broad and include multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special district, and independent school districts), federally recognized tribal governments, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and other entities as allowed under the full eligibility details. The grant is categorized under the health funding activity area and is listed under CFDA number 93.155. The notice was created on June 7, 2022, with an original application closing date of July 27, 2022. Overall, the opportunity is structured to create a centralized, expert technical assistance capability that can help rural communities make informed decisions about REH conversion and support those that proceed through the regulatory, financial, operational, and community-facing changes required to implement the model successfully.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Emergency Hospital Technical Assistance Center" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.155.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 07, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 27, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 22 167

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