State of Illinois Grants

ICAHN has previously contracted two grants for the state of Illinois.

Flex Program

The purpose of the Flex Program is to enable states to support critical access hospitals (CAHs) in quality improvement, quality reporting, performance improvement and benchmarking; to assist facilities seeking designation as CAHs; and to establish or expand programs for the provision of rural emergency medical services (EMS).

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The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex Program)

ICAHN has been selected as the contractor to manage the Flex Grant on behalf of the Illinois Department of Public Health – Center for Rural Health.

The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, or Flex Program, was established by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997. With eligible rural hospitals and a state rural health plan, states could establish a Flex Program and apply for federal funding. Forty-five states participate in the Flex Program. The Flex Program also created critical access hospitals (CAHs) as a Medicare provider type. CAH designation allows the hospital to be reimbursed on a reasonable cost basis for inpatient and outpatient services, including lab and qualifying ambulance services that are provided to Medicare patients and, in some states, Medicaid patients.

Goal of the Flex Program

The Flex Program aims to provide training and technical assistance to build capacity, support innovation, and promote sustainable improvement in the rural healthcare system. The overall goal of the Flex Program is to ensure that high quality healthcare services are available in rural communities and aligned with community needs. Healthcare services include appropriate preventative, ambulatory, pre-hospital, emergent, and inpatient care. High quality rural healthcare will deliver high value to patients and communities and result in healthier rural people.

The long-term objectives of the Flex Program are to enable CAHs, including CAH owned clinics, and rural EMS agencies to:

  • Show and improve quality of care;

  • Stabilize finances and maintain services;  

  • Adjust to address changing community needs; and

  • Ensure patient care is integrated throughout the rural healthcare delivery system.

State Flex funding for this period of performance will act as a resource and focal point to address needs and demonstrate outcomes in the following five program areas with priority for quality, financial and operational improvement in CAHs, and supporting rural hospitals converting to CAH status. We recognize that the healthcare landscape is changing rapidly, with focus being placed on value-based care and alternative payment models. We encourage states to develop projects supporting innovative models of care, as appropriate, and place them in the following program areas:

  • Program Area 1: CAH Quality Improvement (required)

  • Program Area 2: CAH Financial and Operational Improvement (required)

  • Program Area 3: CAH Population Health Improvement (optional)

  • Program Area 4: Rural EMS Improvement (optional)

  • Program Area 5: CAH Designation (required if assistance is requested by rural hospitals)

The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP)

The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) was authorized by section 1820(g)(3) of the Social Security Act (SSA). SHIP is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and annually provides states with funding to assist small rural hospitals in areas of: 1) value-based purchasing programs (VBP), 2) accountable care organizations (ACOs), 3) payment bundling (PB), and 4) implementation of prospective payment systems (PPS). SHIP funds can be used toward hardware, software, subscriptions, and staff training. Hospital projects often focus on quality improvement, process improvement, performance improvement, and/or patient safety.

To qualify for SHIP funds, hospitals must satisfy the following criteria:

  • Be an acute care hospital

  • Have 49 beds or fewer

  • Be located in a rural area

  • Be non-federal

ICAHN began contracting the SHIP Program in 2004.

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Additional Grants

IL Asthma Quality Improvement for CAH Hospitals

The Illinois Asthma Quality Improvement Program aims to enhance the reach, quality, effectiveness, and sustainability of asthma control services. This initiative aligns with the CDC's CCARE initiative and focuses on reducing asthma morbidity, mortality, and disparities.
Education for clinic staff is provided based on the National Asthma Education Prevention Program Expert Panel Report guidelines, covering patient self-assessment, asthma severity rating, medications, and spirometry. The program also emphasizes the use of audit and feedback, decision support tools, and other best practices for quality improvement activities.

ICAHN has had this grant since 2024 and we have 4 hospitals involved in quality improvement asthma projects.

Disease Registries Hospital Strategies

Through IDPH and Chronic Disease Prevention / The National Cardiovascular Health Program (CDC)

The focus of the grant is to help hospitals develop disease registries for patients with hypertension and high cholesterol. These registries also incorporate social determinants of health, supporting the development of policies for screening and connecting patients with needed services and resources.

ICAHN is currently entering its third year of this five-year grant program.

IL Tobacco Quitline Project

ICAHN has partnered since 2022 with the IDPH and the IL Tobacco Quitline to recruit hospitals to provide direct referrals of patients who are interested in quitting using tobacco.

Research shows if a patient is asked by their healthcare provider if they smoke, advised to quit and referred to cessation services immediately, their chances of quitting are much greater.

We currently have 7 hospitals involved in this direct referral program.

Women's Health

The Illinois Department of Public Health Office of Women’s Health and Family Services provided ICAHN a grant to provide education to healthcare professionals within Lead Agencies, Critical Access Hospitals, and Rural Health Clinics participating in the Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program. This is intended to provide continuing education opportunities to healthcare professionals within these organizations that may otherwise not be able to access such credentialed education due to rural or remote location and other barriers.

ICAHN has had this grant for numerous years.

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