eligible small rural hospital
(3) Upgrading data systems (A) Grants to hospitals The Secretary may award grants to hospitals that have submitted applications in accordance with subparagraph (C) to assist eligible small rural hospitals in meeting the costs of implementing data systems required to meet requirements established under the medicare program pursuant to amendments made by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and to assist such hospitals in participating in delivery system reforms under the provisions of and amendments made by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as value-based purchasing programs, accountable care organizations under section 1395jjj of this title , the National pilot program on payment bundling under section 1395cc–4 of this title , and other delivery system reform programs determined appropriate by the Secretary. (B) Eligible small rural hospital defined For purposes of this paragraph, the term “eligible small rural hospital” means a non-Federal, short-term general acute care hospital that— (i) is located in a rural area (as defined for purposes of section 1395ww(d) of this title ); and (ii) has less than 50 beds. (C) Application A hospital seeking a grant under this paragraph shall submit an application to the Secretary on or before such date and in such form and manner as the Secretary specifies. (D) Amount of grant A grant to a hospital under this paragraph may not exceed $50,000. (E) Use of funds A hospital receiving a grant under this paragraph may use the funds for the purchase of computer software and hardware, the education and training of hospital staff on computer information systems, to offset costs related to the implementation of prospective payment systems and to participate in delivery system reforms under the provisions of and amendments made by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as value-based purchasing programs, accountable care organizations under section 1395jjj of this title , the National pilot program on payment bundling under section 1395cc–4 of this title , and other delivery system reform programs determined appropriate by the Secretary. (F) Reports (i) Information A hospital receiving a grant under this section shall furnish the Secretary with such information as the Secretary may require to evaluate the project for which the grant is made and to ensure that the grant is expended for the purposes for which it is made. (ii) Timing of submission (I) Interim reports The Secretary shall report to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate at least annually on the grant program established under this section, including in such report information on the number of grants made, the nature of the projects involved, the geographic distribution of grant recipients, and such other matters as the Secretary deems appropriate. (II) Final report The Secretary shall submit a final report to such committees not later than 180 days after the completion of all of the projects for which a grant is made under this section.