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BISMARCK - Two new funding opportunities through the Rural Health Transportation program have opened in North Dakota that seek to increase transportation access to care and improve coordination of services for patients.
North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) announced applications are open for the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Acquisition funding opportunity through the North Dakota Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). The funding will help eligible rural healthcare organizations purchase accessible transportation vehicles that make it easier for rural residents, including Medicaid members, to get to medical appointments and other essential healthcare services.
Reliable transportation is often the first step in accessing preventive care, managing chronic conditions and receiving specialty services, according to HHS. By helping patients get to appointments consistently, communities can improve health outcomes, strengthen care coordination and reduce avoidable emergency department visits.
About $2 million in federal funding is available through this competitive opportunity. North Dakota HHS anticipates awarding about four grants of about $500,000 each to eligible rural healthcare organizations.
Funding may be used to purchase new accessible transportation vehicles that safely transport patients with mobility needs. Vehicles may include accessible vans, larger passenger vehicles equipped for wheelchair users and other transportation solutions that help rural residents reach healthcare services.
Applications also are open for the Coordinating and Connecting Care funding opportunity. About $1 million in federal funding is available for a single year planning grant focused on improving how healthcare providers, community organizations and other partners coordinate services and referrals.
The planning effort will bring together rural healthcare providers, community-based and volunteer organizations, patients, payers, tribal partners and other stakeholders to identify what’s working, where gaps exist and how organizations can better communicate and coordinate care across the state.
One area the project will explore is a future community information exchange and closed-loop referral system. Such a system could allow authorized organizations to securely send and track referrals and confirm whether people successfully connected with services.
The RHTP is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling nearly $200 million.