This bill provides statutory authority for the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program within the Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Under the bill, USDA must establish and maintain (directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement) a program to help eligible hospital facilities in rural areas (i.e., an area with a population of 50,000 inhabitants or less).
The program must provide tailored technical assistance and training to hospital facilities to identify development needs for maintaining essential health care services and support action plans for financial, operational, and quality improvement projects to meet these needs. Development needs include (1) constructing, expanding, and modernizing health care facilities; (2) increasing telehealth capabilities; and (3) acquiring or upgrading health care information systems (e.g., electronic health records).
The program must also provide technical assistance and training to help hospital facilities to better manage their financial and business strategies and identify, and apply for assistance from, USDA loan and grant programs.
In selecting eligible hospital facilities to participate in the program, USDA must give priority to borrowers of loans and recipients of grants from certain USDA rural assistance programs.
USDA must also submit an annual report to Congress on the progress and results of the program.