10 Colo. Code Regs. § 2505-10-8.8500
Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 18, September 25, 2024
Section 10 CCR 2505-10-8.8500 - Rural Sustainability Payments1. A Sustainability Payment of $100,000 per Critical Access Hospital and $20,000 per Rural Health Center will be issued March 1, 2024 and each subsequent year on August 1st annually for all qualified rural providers participating in the state's Rural Connectivity Program.a. Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) are Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-designated hospitals with <25 beds which are >35 miles from the nearest hospital.b. Rural Health Clinics (RHC) are Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-designated primary care clinics that operate in rural counties. i. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), RHCs are clinics that are located in areas designated by the Bureau of the Census as rural and by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) or the State as medically underserved. An RHC is a clinic that is located in a rural area designated as a shortage area, is not a rehabilitation agency or a facility primarily for the care and treatment of mental diseases, and meets all other requirements of 42 C.F.R. 447.371.2. At minimum, to qualify this payment or a partial payment, a participating rural provider must be connected to one of the state's Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and the Community Analytics Platform (CAP) established by the Office of eHealth Innovation. a. The participating rural provider must have a signed agreement with one of the Colorado Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) so the participating rural provider can view medical records contained within the HIE.b. The participating rural provider must have a signed agreement with the vendor managing the Community Analytics Platform (CAP) so the participating rural provider is accessing the CAP and authorizing the vendor managing the CAP to capture data on its behalf.3. To continue receiving the full amount each year, providers will make continuous efforts to maintain or increase their level of connectivity between the provider and one of the state's HIEs and the CAP. a. Each year the Office of eHealth Innovation, and the Department will present the criteria for a participating provider to receive a payment or partial payment to the eHealth Commission.b. The eHealth Commission will approve any changes to the criteria. The eHealth Commission will provide a public forum for any changes to the criteria.4. Following the criteria approved by the eHealth Commission, the Office of eHealth Innovation, and the Department will review all participating rural providers to determine the payment or partial payment.a. A participating rural provider will be notified if they are qualified to receive a payment or partial payment.b. If a participating provider is not qualified to receive a payment or will receive only a partial payment, the notification will explain the criteria that the participating rural provider did not fulfill.47 CR 01, January 10, 2024, effective 1/30/2024