| Overall Program Metrics |
- Improved chronic disease management and health outcomes
- Enhanced provider capacity to deliver high-quality care
- Improve the ratio of physicians to residents in rural areas by 10%
- Establish a baseline and target for the number of new providers recruited to deliver telehealth in rural areas through affiliation agreements
- Elevated provider and patient experience
- Increased innovation, digital literacy, and adoption of best practices in rural health
|
- Advance performance in all prevention and treatment HEDIS metrics for South Carolinians residing in rural communities demonstrated through independent comparative analysis
- Increase and expand efforts to recruit, train, and retain key healthcare professionals providing services in rural communities for a more robust and sustainable rural health workforce.
- Advance performance in all CAHPS survey response metrics for South Carolinians residing in rural communities demonstrated through independent comparative analysis
- Establish a baseline for and increase the number of rural clinics implementing at least one new clinical best practice or care delivery model (e.g. chronic care management programs, remote monitoring, or team-based care)
|
| Connections to Care – Expanding digital infrastructure by implementing electronic health records, remote patient monitoring, telehealth services and a statewide resource database platform to improve care coordination and access. |
initiative specific metrics and evaluation plans.
|
- Establish a baseline for measurement of the number of rural healthcare providers using certified EHR technology that supports interoperability and increase usage over the course of the cooperative funding agreement
- Establish a baseline for telehealth service offerings, and increase the proportion of healthcare facilities offering telehealth services (e.g., video visits, remote consults) by 15%
- Increase the number of patients enrolled in RPM programs or utilizing assistive technology
- Establish and operationalize a statewide resource database, increasing the number of closed-loop referrals to state and community-based organizations by at least 50%
|
| Leveling Up – Scaling successful pilot programs statewide, focusing on chronic disease management, pediatric care quality, and workforce development. |
- Enhancing Graduate Medical Education (GME) Programs: Provide one-time funding to modernize and expand existing GME programs through infrastructure upgrades that enhance teaching capabilities and support rural training experiences. Investments may include hospital-based improvements and innovative solutions, such as housing for medical residents completing rural o
- Scaling Proven Pilots: Taking successful local or regional programs, such as care coordination models or school mental health programs, and expanding them statewide.
- Needs Assessments: Conducting comprehensive assessments to identify gaps in access, infrastructure, and services, ensuring future investments are data-driven and sustainable.
- Chronic Disease Program Expansion: Building on existing chronic care initiatives that have demonstrated improved outcomes in sickle-cell, diabetes, hypertension, and other high-burden conditions.
|
- Complete a comprehensive community health needs assessment, inclusive of data collection, stakeholder engagement, and publication of a final report
- Increase the number of providers participating in pediatric care quality programs by 15%
- Increase the number of locations where a patient can receive treatment as part of a coordinated chronic care system
- Increase the number of GME programs including a rural education component
|
| Wellness Within Reach – Deploying mobile health units, crisis response teams, and pop-up clinics to bring care directly to underserved populations. |
- Mobile Crisis Response: Mobile teams provide on-site behavioral and mental health support, reducing hospitalizations and improving outcomes for individuals in crisis. RHT funds will expand these services in rural counties through new unit acquisition.
- Expand Community Care Sites: RHT funds will support the development of new care delivery sites, including permanent clinics, seasonal pop-ups, mobile vans, and intermittent service locations. Funding will support equipment purchases, renovation of underutilized spaces, and infrastructure enhancements to ensure high-quality care is available where it’s needed most.
- Emergency Medical Services: A community paramedicine program can deploy specially trained paramedics to provide preventive care, chronic disease monitoring, and post-discharge follow-up in rural areas. Funding equipment, training and technology upgrades for existing EMS units to provide care in the community.
- Community-Based Health Kiosks: RHT funds will support kiosk installation at key community locations.
|
- Increase number of healthcare access points
- Expand mobile health unit coverage in rural counties
- Increase the number of mobile crisis response teams
- Establish a baseline for mobile unit crisis response time and reduce the average response time
- Complete a feasibility study on sustainable payment models for community paramedicine
|
| Shoring Up to Sustainability – Strengthening rural healthcare systems through targeted investments in workforce recruitment and retention, facility upgrades, and provider training. |
- Healthcare Workforce Grants: RHT funds will support a grant program offering incentives such as signing bonuses for rural practitioners building on the successes of the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC) model.
- Facility Enhancements: RHT funds will support minor alterations and renovations that enhance the functionality of the facility, improving service delivery and patient experience.
- Masterclass Training Series: RHT program funds will be used to develop strategic partnerships and collaboratives for providers, leveraging the expertise of successful practitioners, familiar with South Carolina’s rural healthcare landscape, to expand and create institutional knowledge for rural providers.
- Upskilling Workforce: With a 5-year service commitment, RHT funds will be used to support targeted training programs that enhance workforce capacity, including innovative solutions to combat clinician burnout to retain practitioners.
- Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: RHT funds will support building programs that create a pipeline for individuals to enter the diverse career fields that support the healthcare system, through partnerships with high schools, technical colleges, and universities.
|
- Implement or enhance workforce incentive programs
- Establish a baseline and annual metrics for improving clinician retention rates in rural areas
- Through community partners, develop and launch masterclass sessions
- Develop and deploy new or updated training programs for rural healthcare providers
|
| Tech Catalyst Fund – Supporting rural health technology startups and community-based innovations to drive long-term health and economic improvements. |
- Fuel Health Tech Startups: SCRA will utilize its proven due diligence process to identify and scale high-potential ventures, offering non-dilutive grants (funded by RHT).
- Strengthen Community Solutions: Support local innovators integrating technology with cultural, social, and economic assets unique to rural settings.
- Catalyze Rural Economic Development: By leveraging SCRA's diligence process, the Tech Catalyst Fund is projected to attract significant follow-on funding, creating highwage jobs with salaries 71% above the state average, and establishing SC as a premier health tech hub.
|
- Increase the number of rural health tech start-ups receiving funding in South Carolina
- Increase high-wage jobs created by funded companies
- Improve clinical health indicators (e.g., A1C levels for diabetes, blood pressure control) for patients utilizing funded innovations
- Increase the number of rural patients utilizing telehealth or remote monitoring services provided by funded companies
|
