Health Care Quality Accounts (HCQA) Grants Program

Health Care Quality Accounts (HCQA) Grants Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Maryland Department of Health
Last Updated: March 19, 2024

Summary

The Health Care Quality Accounts (HCQA) Grants Program in Maryland aims to enhance the quality of life for nursing home residents through funding sourced from civil money penalties on non-compliant facilities. Grants are available year-round, with amounts varying based on fund availability and applications. Eligible organizations include advocacy groups, nursing home associations, and academic institutions. The program supports initiatives like resident relocation assistance and quality improvement training while prohibiting funds for compliance-related costs.

Overview

Maryland's OHCQ's Health Care Quality Accounts (HCQA) Grants Program is funded by receipt of civil money penalties imposed by OHCQ on nursing homes or assisted living facilities for serious noncompliance with regulations. The funds are used to support activities that improve the quality of life of individuals who reside in Maryland's nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Applications for grants are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Grant amounts vary, dependent upon the availability of funds and the number of approved applications. About CMP Funds A CMP is a monetary penalty the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may impose against nursing homes for either the number of days or for each instance a nursing home is not in substantial compliance with one or more Medicare and Medicaid participation requirements for long-term care facilities. A portion of CMPs collected from nursing homes are returned to the states in which CMPs are imposed. State CMP funds may be reinvested to support activities that benefit nursing home residents and that protect or improve their quality of care or quality of life. Funding Uses The following examples of allowable uses of CMP funds are not all-inclusive. Please see the Allowable and Non-Allowable Uses of CMP Funds download for more information. CMP funds may be used for: Assistance to support and protect residents of a facility that closes or is decertifiedTime-limited expenses incurred in the process of relocating residents to home and community-based settings or another facility when a facility is closed or downsized pursuant to an agreement with the state Medicaid agencyProjects that support resident and family councils and other consumer involvement in assuring quality care in facilitiesFacility improvement initiatives, such as joint training of facility staff and surveyors, or technical assistance for facilities implementing quality assurance and performance improvement programsTraining to improve quality of careActivities to improve quality of life, foster social interaction, and movement and minimize lonelinessIn-person visitation aids

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Organizations that may qualify for use of CMP grant funds include, but are not limited to:Consumer advocacy organizationsResident or family councilsProfessional or state nursing home associationsCMS-certified long-term care facilities (SNF, NF)VendorsState AgenciesAcademic institutionsQuality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO)Veterans' homes and Indian Health Service/tribal LTC facilitiesFacilities must be in compliance with CMS requirements to apply.

Ineligibility

Funds cannot be used to bring facilities back into compliance with CMS requirements.Projects cannot exceed 3 years.The following examples of non-allowable uses of CMP funds are not all-inclusive. Please see the Allowable and Non-Allowable Uses of CMP Funds download for more information:Capital ImprovementsNursing home services or supplies that are already the responsibility of the nursing home, such as laundry, linen, food, heat, staffing costs, medical equipment, resident transportation, resident beds, etc.Palliative Care ServicesPreviously denied CMRP ProjectsSupplementary funding of federally required services (e.g., Quality Improvement Organization-Quality Improvement Network Initiatives).Projects for which a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest exists