Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program – Emergency Medical Services Supplement | HRSA 24 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 24 006

The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program - Emergency Medical Services Supplement (HRSA-24-006) is a competitive supplemental funding opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designed to help states strengthen rural emergency medical services (EMS). It sits under the broader Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (the Flex Program) and specifically targets rural EMS workforce and operational challenges that can limit timely emergency response and the financial stability of EMS agencies. In practical terms, the supplement is meant to help rural communities that are facing staffing shortages, difficulties keeping trained EMS personnel, and inconsistent or inefficient billing practices that can undermine day-to-day operations.

The central goal of the EMS Supplement is to enable states to establish or expand programs that improve the availability and reliability of rural EMS by focusing on recruitment, retention, and workable financial and operational strategies. The notice emphasizes workforce development approaches such as creating career advancement pathways for EMS personnel (including building advancement into hiring and retention plans), partnering with local schools and community colleges to build a pipeline of students interested in EMS careers, and educating community leaders about local staffing needs, whether those needs are best met through volunteers, paid staff, or a combination. It also recognizes that keeping an EMS workforce in place is not only about hiring, but also about sustaining people in demanding roles, including efforts that address fatigue and the mental health impacts associated with EMS work.

A major operational theme of the opportunity is improving billing capacity and consistency, which is often a persistent weakness for small or rural EMS organizations. Supported activities may include training staff on EMS billing practices, updating billing software, and establishing cost-sharing agreements with other agencies to make billing services more affordable and sustainable. The supplement also allows support for the direct costs that frequently prevent rural workers and volunteers from obtaining or maintaining credentials, such as covering travel expenses for training and certification and helping pay for training and certification itself. Collectively, these activities are intended to improve both service readiness and the financial footing of rural EMS providers, reducing gaps caused by workforce turnover and unstable revenue processes.

Eligibility is limited and very specific. Only state recipients that already hold the HRSA-24-002 Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program cooperative agreement can apply. In other words, this is not an open competition for counties, individual EMS agencies, hospitals, or nonprofits; it is a competing supplement available only to the states that are current Flex Program awardees under that particular funding announcement. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates HRSA expects substantial involvement in the work beyond what is typical for a standard grant, such as programmatic collaboration, oversight, and technical input.

Key funding details include an award ceiling of $250,000, with an anticipated total of 8 awards. The program is categorized as discretionary funding, falls under the health activity category, and is associated with CFDA number 93.241. The original application closing date listed for this opportunity is April 26, 2024, and the notice was created on January 24, 2024. Overall, the supplement is structured as targeted, time-limited additional funding to help eligible Flex states build stronger rural EMS staffing pipelines, improve retention, and shore up operational systems like billing so rural EMS can remain viable and responsive.

• The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program – Emergency Medical Services Supplement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.241.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-04-26. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for HRSA 24 006

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