HRSA Grant Opportunity Alert: Rural Health Care Coordination Program

Applications are due May 15!

The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) recently posted a grant opportunity to promote rural health care services that will expand care delivery strategies in rural areas. Applicants are asked to select one primary focus area from one of the following: heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease (COPD), stroke, or maternal health.

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy will award 10 recipients up to $300,000 per year over the four-year project period to:

• Expand access to and quality of equitable health care services through care coordination strategies exclusively in rural areas;
• Utilize an innovative evidence-based, promising practice, and/or value-based care model(s) known or demonstrate strong evidence to improve patient health outcomes, and the planning and delivery of patient-centered health care services;
• Increase collaboration among multi-sector and multidisciplinary network partnerships to address the underlying factors related to social determinants of health; and
• Develop and implement deliberate and sustainable strategies of care coordination into policies, procedures, staffing, services, and communication systems

All domestic public and private, nonprofit, and for-profit entities who serve rural, underserved communities are eligible to receive funding for this program.

Remote Patient Monitoring for Rural Populations

One strategy to consider while crafting your grant application is Remote Patient Monitoring. Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) refers to the use of digital technology like connected medical devices to collect patient biometric data remotely and securely send it to their care team. This can be especially beneficial for rural patient populations who are at higher risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and COPD or a higher risk of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes or hypertension, and who may have less frequent access to their health care providers.

However, not all RPM solutions are the right fit for rural populations. Recognizing that not all patients have internet access or smart phones, it’s important to consider how data is transmitted from the patient to the provider-facing solution. Cellular-enabled devices, for example, require little patient involvement. Platforms that integrate with cellular-enabled devices enable data to be transmitted without complicated syncing and pairing for the patient. No phone, hub or app is required. Novel digital therapeutics like digital inhalers for asthma and COPD also reduce barriers to care by enabling the clinic to track medication adherence as well as worsening symptoms remotely, without requiring the patient to travel to the clinic to receive the support they need.

Rimidi’s Workflow Integrated RPM Solution

Rimidi’s next-generation RPM solution combines patient-generated health data from connected devices like blood pressure cuffs, scales, and blood-glucose meters with clinical data from the EHR to enable a continuous model of chronic disease management and to efficiently achieve quality measures. And whether you’re a leading medical center, multi-specialty practice, FQHC or RHC, the Rimidi platform is designed to meet your needs. Rimidi’s software is not just built for monitoring, but disease management. Specifically, Rimidi:

• Integrates with a variety of devices: Blood Glucose Meters, Continuous Glucose Monitors, Scales, Blood Pressure Cuffs, Digital Inhalers, and Pulse Oximetry without requiring customers to purchase kits with all devices.
• Connects with cellular-enabled devices, providing a frictionless experience for patients without complicated syncing or pairing.
• Offers a fully integrated EHR experience with leading EHRs.
• Supports disease management for multiple—often comorbid—disease states.
• Delivers guideline-based clinical decision support within the clinical workflow.

We would be happy to answer any questions you have about Remote Patient Monitoring. Please contact our team to understand how RPM can be an impactful part of your grant proposal.