Minnesota Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program

The Minnesota Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program was created to improve access and quality and relieve some of the financial pressures on rural hospitals and emergency medical services.

The focus of the Minnesota’s Flex Program is supporting rural systems of care with the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) as the hub.

The Flex Program provides support and assistance by:

• Acting as the liaison between communities and federal and state programs
• Offering information on topics related to CAH operations
• Monitoring emergency medical services (EMS) issues in rural Minnesota.
• Promoting Networks and Community Development: Many rural hospitals cannot support a full range of specialty and high tech services. Well-organized networks can promote system efficiency, help hospitals maintain their census and maintain compliance with CAH rules.
• Providing related program planning and research
• Implementing program enhancements
• Monitoring and communicating changes in federal programs
• Convening the Flex Program Advisory Committee