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Computer Grants for Hospitals

Hospitals have begun seeking new sources of funding for capital purchases. Funding for computer purchases is especially in demand, largely due to the U.S. government mandate that health records (EHR) be electronic by 2015. More than $1 billion was made available through the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for EHR, but many of those application deadlines have expired. Alternative funding opportunities do exist, however.

  1. Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP)

    • Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) of the University of North Dakota administers the SHIP grant. The purpose of SHIP is to aid implementation strategies for compliance and service issues, including the purchase of information technology equipment. Applications are accepted annually nationwide with a May deadline. Grants are limited to $50,000 per year, as of 2010, but are renewable if the grantee meets the criteria. Eligibility criteria is detailed, but basically includes small rural hospitals serving as Medicare and Medicaid essential access points. Eligible hospitals should apply through their State Office of Rural Health, which can be found at the RAC online.

      Rural Assistance Center

      School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Room 4520

      501 North Columbia Road, Stop 9037

      Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037

      800-270-1898

      raconline.org

    Rural Development Community Facility Grants

    • The Rural Development division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture fund and administer the Community Facility Grants. The program assists rural communities in the development or improvement of essential community facilities, including health care services. Recipients can use funds for various purposes including purchase of equipment such as computers. Applications are accepted annually nationwide. Grant amounts are decided by project, and can generally be used to fund up to 75 percent of project costs. Eligibility is based on a priority point system ranking community size, income levels and existing services. State Rural Development offices provide information and application instructions. State office contact information can be found online at USDA Rural Development.

      USDA Rural Development

      Room 205-W, Mail Stop 0107

      1400 Independence Ave. SW

      Washington, DC 20250-0107

      202-720-4581

      rurdeve.usda.gov

    GE Healthcare Stimulus Simplicity Program

    • GE Healthcare, a division of the General Electric Co., funds the Stimulus Simplicity Program. The program assists hospitals and physicians' offices with the capital costs of adopting electronic medical records. The grant is not in the form of an actual cash award, but rather a modified program granting 0-percent financing and deferred payments valued at $28 billion, as of 2010. Details and application information is available online at GE Healthcare.

      GE Healthcare

      800-535-7921

      gehealthcare.com

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