Health Facility Support Programs
Critical Access Hospitals (State/Federal)
This federal certification and grant program
stabilizes access to
health care services in rural areas. The Critical Access Hospital
program:
- Provides enhanced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement to rural
hospitals with fewer than 25 patients.
- Encourages the integration of acute, primary, emergency and long-term care delivery
systems at the local level through grants and information sharing.
The Office of Community and Rural Health provides overall direction and planning, help to assess the
conversion option, networking and grant administration.
Rural Health Clinics (State/Federal)
A federal certification for clinics that stabilizes access to outpatient
primary care in rural areas and encourages the use of physicians,
physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse
midwives. The program:
- Provides enhanced Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursement to private or non-profit primary care clinics located
in underserved rural areas.
- Encourages more effective and
efficient delivery of primary care through information sharing,
technical assistance, and assessment.
The Office of Community and Rural Health helps clinics assess whether they meet initial federal
eligibility requirements, prepare for Federal Certification, and
understand changing federal regulations and requirements.
Federally Qualified Health Centers (Federal/State)
A federal certification and grant program to provide access to primary, dental, and mental
health care to the uninsured and low-income. The program:
- Provides enhanced Medicare and Medicaid
reimbursement and grants to non-profit clinics providing
comprehensive primary care, located in underserved areas and
accepting all patients regardless of ability to pay.
The Washington State Primary Care Office provides help to explain federal eligibility
requirements and prepare grant applications.
Health Professional Support Programs Return
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Direct Recruitment (State)
The Office of Community and Rural Health provides direct recruitment services to improve
access to primary care providers in rural and underserved areas of Washington. The program:
- Operates a clearinghouse to match primary care providers seeking a practice site and
communities and practices seeking primary care providers.
- Provides direct assistance to communities and practices to assist in provider
recruitment and retention.
J1 Visa Waiver Program (Federal/State)
This is the State Conrad 30 Program administered by the Office of Community and Rural Health.
The program:
- Sponsors up to 30 visa waivers (22 primary care, 8 specialists) per Federal Fiscal Year for
international medical graduates recruited by communities and
practices located in Federally designated shortage areas.
- Provides direct assistance to communities and practices to explain state and federal
eligibility requirements.
- Reviews and approves site and provider applications.
- Does not provide job placement or search services for individual providers seeking J-1
status.
Locum Tenens
- Temporary Substitute Provider Program (State, Administered by the
Eastern Washington Area Health Education
Center at Washington State University)
This program arranges temporary coverage for health care providers in rural areas when they
are unavailable due to illness, vacation, or attendance in training
programs.
National Recruitment and Retention
(external 3RNet site)
A national organization which provides a clearinghouse and other resources for helping health
care providers find practice opportunities. The Office of Community and
Rural Health is a member and contributor.
Project H.O.P.E. (State, Administered by the Area Health Education Centers)
Project H.O.P.E. (Health Occupations Preparatory Experience) exposes high
school students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to career
opportunities in health care. The project offers high school students a
six-week paid internship covering multiple settings under the
supervision of staff from hospitals, medical and dental clinics, and
long-term care facilities.
State Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program (State)
The Health Professional Loan Repayment and Scholarship programs were
created to address Washington States critical shortage of health care
professionals by providing:
- Loan repayment assistance to licensed primary care health professionals.
- Scholarships to students training to become primary care health professionals.
In return, participants in both programs agree to provide primary care
health service in rural or underserved urban areas. Financial
incentives are provided for: physicians (MD/DO/ND), physician
assistants, nurse practitioners, midwives (certified-nurse and
licensed), pharmacists, dentists, dental hygienists, and all levels of
licensed nurses, including nursing faculty.
Federal Loan Repayment and Scholarship
Program or National Health Service
Corps (Federal, State)
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) loan repayment and scholarship programs are administered
by Federal Health Resources and Service Administration. Interested
providers should contact them directly. Financial incentives are
provided for primary care physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners,
physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, dentists, dental
hygienists, and mental health professionals.
The Washington State Primary Care Office works with clinics interested
in recruiting NHSC providers to establish whether the proposed practice location meets federal site criteria.
Volunteer Retired Providers Program (State, administered by the
Western Washington Area Health Education Center)
This program improves access to health care by encouraging volunteerism among doctor,
dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and dental
hygienists providing medical and dental care to underserved populations.
The program:
- Pays for site-specific malpractice insurance and license renewal fees for volunteer providers.
- Offers technical support materials for recruiting, retaining, and managing volunteers.
The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner has a
variety of services to help rural and medically underserved
providers and patients
The Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) HelpLine
has information and a network of trained volunteers to help people f
all ages with questions about health insurance, heal care
Community Planning Resources Return
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Health Care Access Research (State)
The Health Care Access research supports community and state planning
and policy by developing reports and information describing access to
health care services with an emphasis on primary and acute care and
hospital services. Resources include:
- Detailed county assessments of access to care for Medicare, Medicaid, Basic Health
and employer-insured patients and statewide trends on access to
primary care.
- Washington Rural Health Assessment Project: Short summaries of trends and issues affecting
access to essential health services in rural Washington.
- Washington Healthcare Infrastructure Mapping Project: Downloadable finished maps of
Washingtons Healthcare infrastructure including primary care
clinics, hospitals and eldercare options.
Health Professional Shortage Areas/Medically Underserved Areas (Federal/State)
Federal health professional shortage area (HPSA) and Medically
Underserved Area (MUA) designations establish initial eligibility for
more than 30 federal and state programs for improving access to health
care. The Office works with local health jurisdictions and providers to:
- Survey providers and assess whether areas meet federal criteria.
- Prepare, review and submit designation updates and requests.
- Provide information on changes in designation status and federal rules and requirements for
programs which use HPSA /MUA for determining program eligibility.
Primary Care Office (State/Federal)
State Primary Care Offices represent the needs of the underserved populations for primary care (medical, dental, and
mental health) and those who meet these needs. The Primary Care Office:
- Advocates for additional primary care resources for underserved populations
- Offers community-focused health care planning and technical assistance to expand and maintain primary care access.
- Provides assistance in determining eligibility
and applying for National Health Service Corp and Federally
Qualified Health Center grants.
Grant Programs Return
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Critical Access Hospital Grants (State/Federal)
The Critical Access Hospital grant program stabilizes access to health care services in rural areas by
providing grants to Critical Access Hospitals.
Health Systems Resources Grants (State)
The Health Systems Resources Program was established to provide
financial and technical assistance to promote affordable and more
effective access to health care services in rural areas and urban
underserved populations. Grants are available on a two year cycle to
for-profit, non-profit and governmental entities for innovative
projects that:
- Promote affordable access to health care services to residents in rural areas of Washington
State
- Assure the availability of health care providers to residents of rural areas and to urban
underserved populations.
SHIP Rural Hospital Grants (State/Federal)
Small grants available to rural hospitals (or a hospital collaborative) for:
- Implementation of Prospective Payment Systems
- Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance
- Medical error reduction and Quality Improvement
Other grant and funding sources
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