Primary Care Mini-Grant Opportunity Application and Guidance

Tier 1: Primary care practice agrees to and demonstrates that they have accepted new patients onto their patient panel. Up to $75,000 in funds may be available for each awardee. Practice size is categorized as follows: 

• Small Practice (1-5 PCPs)  

• Mid-Size Practice (6-10 PCPs)  

• Large Practice (>10 PCPs)  

A practice must submit their panel size as of April 1, 2025, with the mini-grant application. Reports (outlined in section 4) must be submitted to demonstrate the addition of new patients with the goal of reaching the following number of patients by practice size as of October 31, 2025: 

• Small Practice (1-5 PCPs) must add at least twenty five (25) patients to their panel size 

• Mid-Size Practice (6-10 PCPs) must add at least add fifty (50) patients to their panel size 

• Large Practice (>10 PCPs) must add at least seventy five (75) patients to their panel size 

The practice will submit a signed attestation as part of the final report to verify that it has added the required number of patients to its overall practice panel. A status report will be due on August 15, 2025, and a final report will be due on December 31, 2025 (outlined in section 4). Please note: CMS and/or the State of Rhode Island may and can audit practice records to verify patient panel enrollment.  

Tier 2: The primary care practice will recruit new primary care physicians or mid-level providers, such as Nurse Practitioners or Physicians Assistants, to the Rhode Island primary care workforce. Applicants are encouraged to recruit providers that are not already a part of the Rhode Island primary care workforce such as new graduates, providers from other states, or providers from other specialties.  Additionally, applicants are encouraged to recruit primary care providers from recently closed practices who will no longer be employed with their former employer. Up to $300,000 may be available for each awardee. A practice must submit their current list of licensed primary care providers, including MDs, DOs, NPs, and PAs, as of April 1, 2025. A status report will be due on September 19, 2025, and a final report will be due on December 31, 2025 (outlined in section 4). The final report will include a list of all new hires and a description of how the funds were allocated and invested towards recruitment and outreach.  

Tier 3: Any primary care provider and/or practice that enrolls as a new Medicaid Provider in the Rhode Island Medicaid program may be awarded $5,000 subject to the availability of funds and proof of Medicaid provider enrollment. Total funds distributed under this section of the mini-grant opportunity will be limited to $100,000. Application submission to the Rhode Island Medicaid program must be demonstrated as an action taken on or before September 1, 2025. Evidence of successful enrollment into the Medicaid program must be confirmed by December 31, 2025. Rhode Island Medicaid will verify provider enrollment into the Medicaid program on a rolling basis. 

Tier 1: This one-time mini grant shall be used for the specific purpose of increase access for Rhode Islanders, especially Rhode Island Medicaid beneficiaries, to primary care services. Funds may be used for the recruitment and retention of primary care providers to expand patient panel size, including, but not limited to, compensation of newly recruited providers and recruitment efforts. Funds may also be used for material and administrative needs that may be incurred because of expanding patient panels. However, funds may not be used for overhead expenses such as rent and utilities. Documentation must be maintained and submitted for compliance purposes to ensure all of the following requirements are met and to detail how funds were spent. 

Tier 2: This one-time mini grant shall be used for the specific purpose of recruitment and retention to increase primary care capacity to serve Medicaid beneficiaries. Compensation associated with recruitment efforts such as but not limited to enhanced benefits and sign-on incentives are allowable use of funds. Documentation must be maintained and submitted for compliance purposes to ensure all of the following requirements are met and to detail how funds were spent. Specifically, that: 

• At least 25% of this mini-grant funding was spent on compensation paid to newly recruited providers; 

• Up to 75% of this mini-grant funding was spent on outreach and recruitment efforts such as communication and publication of open positions, new hire orientation and training, and other related investments in building staff capacity that also increases the practice’s ability to take on new patients; and, 

• No more than 15% of this mini-grant funding was spent on increased payroll costs directly related to onboarding new hires and administrative needs.  

Tier 3: Funds may be used to offset costs related to enrollment in the Rhode Island Medicaid program, including administrative needs. 

A practice or provider that applies for a mini grant must submit a complete application, including the following documentation (see Appendix A): 

• Current payor mix as of April 1, 2025  

• Baseline data on the practice patient panel size (de-identified) as of April 1, 2025 

• Accreditation as a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) 

• Attestation affirming that the practice or provider understands and commits to the requirements of this one-time mini-grant, and all submitted information is accurate 

Practices and providers that can demonstrate the provision of care delivery to the following patient populations will be prioritized: 

• Pediatrics, including children with special needs and/or receiving home- and community-based services (HCBS) 

• Geriatrics, including patients eligible for Long Term Care Services and Supports (LTSS) 

• Patients receiving home- and community-based services (HCBS) 

• Inter-disciplinary staffing model inclusive of behavioral health, pharmacy, and other ancillary providers 

• Underserved areas with limited access to primary care  

• High Medicaid patient census 

In addition to the documentation and reports required as part of the mini-grant application submission, providers participating in Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 must submit a status report and a final report with the following components: 

• Tier 1 – status report due August 15, 2025, and final report due December 31, 2025 

• Tier 2 – status report due September 19, 2025, and final report due December 31, 2025 

• Tier 3 – documentation due December 31, 2025