2019 New York Laws
PBH - Public Health
Article 28 - 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.