2010 New York Code
PBH - Public Health
Article 28 - (2800 - 2822) HOSPITALS
2807-I - Service and quality improvement grants.

§  2807-i.  Service  and  quality  improvement  grants.  1.  Grants to
  facilitate cooperative ventures for sharing  administrative,  management
  and  operational services. a. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision
  of  law  to  the  contrary,  within  amounts  available  therefor,   the
  commissioner  shall make grants pursuant to this subdivision to eligible
  applicants   to   facilitate   cooperative    ventures    for    sharing
  administrative,   management  and  operational  services  among  general
  hospitals and other health care providers. Funded projects shall include
  two or more hospitals and may also include other health  care  providers
  in  coordination with those hospitals. Funded projects shall be designed
  to demonstrate the extent to which such cooperative  arrangements  would
  result in a reduction in costs to the facilities involved.
    b.  In order to be eligible to receive a grant under this subdivision,
  applicants shall prepare and submit to the commissioner  a  proposal  at
  such  time,  in  such  manner  and  containing  such  information as the
  commissioner may require, including:
    (i) a statement that such providers desire to negotiate and enter into
  a voluntary agreement;
    (ii)  a  description  of  the  nature  and  scope  of  the  activities
  contemplated in the cooperative agreement;
    (iii) a description of the financial arrangement between the providers
  that are parties to the agreement;
    (iv)  a  description  of  the  geographic area generally served by the
  providers;
    (v) a description  of  the  anticipated  benefits  and  advantages  to
  providers and to health care consumers;
    (vi)  a  description  of how the proposal will be coordinated with the
  regional health plan; and
    (vii)  any   other   information   determined   appropriate   by   the
  commissioner.
    c.  In  awarding grants under this subdivision, the commissioner shall
  assure that there is a sufficiently representative geographic  and  size
  distribution of grantees, including urban, rural and suburban grantees.
    d. Amounts provided under a grant awarded under this subdivision shall
  only  be  used  for  the  planning  of  cooperative  ventures and shared
  services.
    e. Grantees shall submit reports to the commissioner in such form  and
  at  such  times  as  the commissioner may by regulation require, for the
  purpose of evaluating the operations and results of such program.
    f. The commissioner in evaluating proposals pursuant to  this  section
  shall   give   primary  consideration  to  the  financial  condition  of
  applicants; provided however, that an  applicant's  financial  condition
  shall not be the sole grounds for approval or rejection.
    2.   Management   information   systems  grants.  Notwithstanding  any
  inconsistent provision of law to the contrary, within amounts  available
  therefor,   the   commissioner   shall  make  grants  pursuant  to  this
  subdivision to general hospitals, not to  exceed  two  hundred  thousand
  dollars  per hospital, for the purposes of expanding and improving their
  information management capabilities. In order to be eligible for  grants
  pursuant  to  this subdivision, general hospitals which have experienced
  operating losses for the  past  two  consecutive  years,  provided  such
  operating  losses  have  been  at  least  two percent of such hospital's
  operating expenses, shall submit proposals which demonstrate that:
    a. hospital management, productivity, and operations would be enhanced
  by improvements to the hospital's current management information  system
  capabilities;
    b. the cost of providing services would be contained or patient access
  to care or the quality of patient care would be improved;

c.  such  hospital's  clinical,  management  and  finance  information
  systems would be integrated; and
    d. cost finding and cost accounting capabilities would be enhanced.
    3.  Continuous  quality improvement grants. Grants shall be awarded to
  general hospitals,  within  amounts  available  therefor,  to  establish
  programs  to  improve  quality assurance activities. Such programs shall
  seek  to  promote  and  encourage  continuous  quality  improvement   by
  integrating   traditional  medical  staff  review  functions  with  risk
  management and infection control activities. Grants  shall  be  used  to
  support the following:
    a. the establishment of a mission statement, an accompanying long term
  strategic  plan  and allocation of institutional resources which reflect
  the institution's commitment to continuous quality improvement;
    b. the establishment of  quality  improvement  activities  which  will
  enhance  all institutional processes, including clinical, managerial and
  support functions;
    c. activities which support a multidisciplinary collaborative approach
  to quality improvement;
    d. integration of management information  systems  to  improve  health
  care delivery; and
    e.  an educational program on continuous quality improvement to inform
  staff of the institution's mission and plan for quality.
    4. Equitable distribution. Funding shall  as  far  as  practicable  be
  equitably  distributed  among  applicants  in  urban, suburban and rural
  areas of the state.