SCHIEx Implementation Acceleration Program

Rural Health Conference, October 2013

Categories of Support

Program Sub-Category Total Funding Available

Estimated No. of Total Participants

(award sizes vary in each program)

First Connect Program $665,000.00 Approx. 6-9 participants

Ambulatory Practice Acceleration Program

$1,090,000.00 Approx. 110-120 participants

Community Exchange Program

$1,000,000.00 Approx. 6-9 communities

First Connect Program

• Description: This Program is designed to increase the number of native inpatient EHR vendor interfaces to SCHIEx EXCHANGE

• Eligibility and Allowable Expenses: SC acute care hospitals who are the first to connect a vendor’s product to SCHIEx EXCHANGE are eligible to apply for up to $95,000 in funding.

• Reimbursement: Reimbursement will be made contingent upon receipt of appropriately documented costs incurred and validation of successful implementation of Exchange services by March 1, 2014.

Ambulatory Practice Program• Description: This Program is designed to help SC

ambulatory practices address the EHR vendor fees charged to establish an initial connection to SCHIEx EXCHANGE.

• Eligibility and Allowable Expenses: SC ambulatory practices are eligible to apply for up to $10,000 in funding to offset the actual vendor cost to connect to SCHIEx.

• Reimbursement: Reimbursement will be made contingent upon receipt of appropriately documented costs incurred and validation of successful implementation of Exchange services by March 1, 2014.

Community Exchange• Description: This Program is designed to help SC healthcare

communities address the cost associated with connecting to SCHIEx and to facilitate patient care transitions among participating organizations.

• Eligibility and Allowable Expenses: Communities are eligible to apply for between $20,000-$200,000 in funding to offset the actual cost of each member’s expenses incurred to connect, plus funding to offset a portion of the associated cost for technical validation testing, and community implementation.

• Reimbursement: Reimbursement will be made contingent upon receipt of appropriately documented costs incurred and validation of successful implementation of Exchange services by March 1, 2014.

Community Exchange

To be eligible each community exchange must: 1) Identify a lead organization as the primary point of contact; 2) Conduct a referral analysis to inform the connections needed to support exchange of care summaries at care transitions; 3) Include at least one acute care hospital and its affiliated ambulatory practices/other health services involved in care transitions; 4) Include one or more ambulatory practices not affiliated with the acute care hospital. Where possible Rural Health Clinics, and Free Medical Clinics should be part of the community; 5) Facilitate coordination with behavioral health via SCHIEx DIRECT secure messaging; and 6) Establish an expected community outcome as a result of being part of the Exchange (i.e. reductions in ER treatments, decreased readmissions, improved care transitions, improved diabetes care, etc.)