National Rural Health Resource Center's Podcasts

This is the fourth and final podcast in our Stepping Up: Health Equity in Rural Hospitals Podcast Series. Featuring Dr. Heidi Helgeson MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Rio Grande Hospital and Andrew Thomas, Baylor University '23, health equity intern at Rio Grande Hospital Guests will share stories of success and struggle with health equity programs and initiatives in rural communities. Specific steps will be shared on moving forward with the culture, champions, and data a facility has built. By listening to this episode, the audience will hear specific challenges and solutions to implementing health equity programs and initiatives in rural communities. View details on the website.

This is the third podcast in our Stepping Up: Health Equity in Rural Hospitals Podcast Series. Featuring Sarah Brinkman, Program Manager, Stratis Health and Shena Popat, Senior Research Scientist, Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis at NORC at the University of Chicago  Data are a cornerstone for efforts to identify and address disparities and advance health equity. Guests provide insight into how a facility can adequately assess the needs of their rural community and translate that data into health equity programs and initiatives. By listening to this episode, the audience will be able to utilize tools and resources to conduct community needs assessments with health equity champions. View details on the website.

This is the second podcast in our Stepping Up: Health Equity in Rural Hospitals Podcast Series. Featuring Selena McCord MPH, Community Program Manager, National Rural Health Resource Center and Jennifer Barbour, Director of Relations, Sparta Community Hospital Understand the importance and role of health equity champions within the community. Guests will guide listeners through the process of identifying, recruiting, and training rural health equity champions within their organizations and the community. View details on the website page.

This is the first podcast in our Stepping Up: Health Equity in Rural Hospitals Podcast Series. Featuring Benjamin D. Anderson, MBA, MHCDS, Vice President, Rural Health and Hospitals, Colorado Hospital Association and Dr. Jennifer Bacani-McKenney, Kansas Health Foundation Board and family practice physician at Fredonia Regional Hospital and President of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians Guests will share the importance of internal diversity, equity, and inclusion adoption. Practical steps are discussed on how leadership can and should establish a diverse and inclusive culture. View details on the website. 

Featuring Alicia Bauman, Community Health Director, Lakewood Health System, Staples, MN and Mat Spaan, MPA, Manager, Care Delivery & Payment Reform, Minnesota Department of Human Services Learn how a small MN CAH formed non-traditional community partners in order to address food insecurity to improve population health. Also, learn about the Integrated Health Partnership (IHP) and how it allows health care professionals the freedom to drive local innovation and improve the health of their community. View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website.

Featuring Jen Peterson, Supervisor of Social Work and Care Coordination, Welia Health, Mora, MN and Deb Laine, M.Ed, Senior Program Specialist, National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) Learn the importance of community care coordination in improving population health. Hear about one CAH’s journey into community care coordination – the process, how it has evolved, and the outcomes.  View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website.  

Featuring Jodi Martin, Marketing and Communications Team Leader, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, Ely, MN and Mike Milligan, President, Legato Healthcare Marketing We touched on the importance of population health in our first podcast. Learn how Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital used their community health needs assessment findings to craft messages to engage providers and staff, form community partnerships, and start communicating differently to the community. Use the Customizable Communications Toolkit to access customizable templates within the Toolkit to easily develop internal and external communication materials! View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website. 

Featuring Tracy Morton, MPH, Director of Population Health, National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) Listeners will begin to understand the transition to value-based care and population health and why mid-level management plays a critical role. The basics of population health and social determinants of health are applicable to everyone that works in a hospital. Use these 10-minute podcasts during departmental/staff meetings or share as applicable. View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website.

Featuring Rhonda Barcus, MS, LPC, Program Manager, National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) Creating a meaningful experience for our patients includes connecting with the person to provide a sense of safety and care. This podcast is relevant to any staff member in a healthcare organization and who would like to understand more about creating a true patient experience. View the full series on the collection webpage. 

Featuring Jonathan Neufeld, PhD, Program Director, Great Plains Telehealth Resource and Assistance Center Learn tips for how to best inform your patients about what to expect for their telehealth visit. All staff at the hospital should understand what the virtual patient expectation is and what they can do on their end to improve satisfaction and population health.  The basics of population health and social determinants of health are applicable to everyone that works in a hospital. Use these 10-minute podcasts during departmental/staff meetings or share as applicable. View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website.

Featuring Shannon Studden, Senior Program Specialist and Rhonda Barcus, Program Manager from the National Rural Health Resource Center and Carly Kubesh, BSN, RN, PHN, Clinic Manager, Olivia Hospital & Clinic, Olivia, MN Learn some of the core competencies that will help mid-level leaders thrive while implementing population health initiatives. Hear from an MLL who is successfully engaging their staff in population health initiatives. View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website.

Featuring Jennifer Lundblad, Project Director, Rural Health Value and President/CEO, Stratis Health, Karla Weng MPH, CPHQ, Technical Assistance Lead, Rural Health Value and Senior Program Manager, Stratis Health, and Terry Hill, MPA, Senior Advisor for Rural Health Leadership and Policy, National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) and Executive Director of Rural Health Innovations (RHI) Understand the difference between population health, value-based care, and value-based payment. Learn what this means for CAHs and rural communities. Rural health experts share key strategies for CAHs to focus on as they move towards population health.  Learn best practices from experts and critical access hospital (CAH) mid-level leaders (MLLs) as they address social determinants of health and shift towards population health. View the full series on the collection webpage. Access resources on The Center's website.  

Podcast Guest: Teri Fritsma, Senior Research Analyst, Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health & Primary Care Podcast Host: Nitika Moibi, Health Workforce Analysis Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health & Primary Care View details of the entire podcast series at https://minnesotaruralhealthconference.org/podcasts! Nitika Moibi and Teri Fritsma will discuss the rapid transformation that COVID has brought to the health care workforce in Minnesota - reduced hours, layoffs, and even rural retirements in certain sectors of health care. On the other hand, COVID has also caused the swift expansion of telemedicine—a likely permanent change that could improve Minnesotans’ access to care now and well into the future. Hear what health care providers say are their greatest concerns during this period. This series was developed by the Minnesota Rural Health Conference hosts – the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), the National Rural Health Resource Center, and the Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA).

Podcast Guest: Dr. Nicholas Lehnertz, Medical Specialist 2, Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control, Minnesota Department of Health Podcast Host: Mark Jones, Director, Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA) View details of the entire podcast series at https://minnesotaruralhealthconference.org/podcasts! Dr. Lehnertz discusses the impact of COVID-19 in Minnesota, specifically in rural areas. Hear the most up-to-date data concerning cases, deaths, testing, race-related disparities, and new findings. Learn best practices for staying safe this winter and through the holidays as well as advice to prepare rural hospitals for the next 6-12 months. This series was developed by the Minnesota Rural Health Conference hosts – the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), the National Rural Health Resource Center, and the Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA).

Podcast Guest: Jan Malcolm, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health Podcast Host: Zora Radosevich, Director, Minnesota Department of Health - Office of Rural Health & Primary Care View details of the entire podcast series at https://minnesotaruralhealthconference.org/podcasts! The ORHPC's Director will have a discussion with the Commissioner about why rural health issues deserve special attention, how the Minnesota Department of Health supports health care professionals in rural areas, and what some of the important issues are in addressing the pandemic and its impact on rural MN. This series was developed by the Minnesota Rural Health Conference hosts – the Minnesota Department of Health’s (MDH) Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC), the National Rural Health Resource Center, and the Minnesota Rural Health Association (MRHA).

Learn about the three-part podcast series developed by the Minnesota Rural Health Conference (MNRHC) hosts that will be released daily during the week of National Rural Health Day. Hear clips from guest speakers and a special announcement about the 2021 MNRHC! Download podcasts and learn more at https://minnesotaruralhealthconference.org/podcasts!

In this final episode of Managing from the Middle: Leading Through Change 6-part podcast series, we will share common themes from Episodes 1-5 and wrap up the series. Joining the conversation are Terry Hill, Rhonda Barcus, and Shannon Studden, all with the National Rural Health Resource Center. "If you boil it down to one simple sentence, it’s really about getting patient care right." ~Terry Hill

In this fifth episode of Managing from the Middle: Leading Through Change 6-part podcast series, we address the challenges leaders face with managing their own emotions during change. Guests share best practices for strengthening emotional intelligence, building resilience and role-modeling while leading a group through a change. Joining the conversation are Micala Dempcy with Lexington Regional Health Center in Nebraska, and Rhonda Barcus and Shannon Studden with the National Rural Health Resource Center. "Managing my own emotions helps me stay professional and relevant with my staff; I don’t hide them by any means, but I acknowledge them and I’m honest with them." ~Micala Dempcy

In this fourth episode of Managing from the Middle: Leading Through Change 6-part podcast series, guests discuss strategies for supporting others through change by addressing individual differences within teams, working through resistance, and leading from the heart. Joining the conversation are Fheb Garcia with Roosevelt General Hospital in New Mexico and Shannon Studden, Senior Program Specialist with the National Rural Health Resource Center. "My team knows that I am their biggest advocate and that no matter what happens, I will have their back and they will have mine." ~Fheb Garcia

In this third episode of Managing from the Middle: Leading Through Change 6-part podcast series, we explore leaders’ primary responsibilities throughout the change process. Joining the conversation are Jessica Camacho with Roosevelt General Hospital in New Mexico, and Shannon Studden, Senior Program Specialist with the National Rural Health Resource Center. "Our role is to be the comforter; it’s going to be okay; I’m going to hold your hand. I have to adjust my management style to each person." ~Jessica Camacho

In this second episode of Managing from the Middle: Leading Through Change 6-part podcast series, hear perspectives on change models, how they show up throughout the change process, and why they’re important. Joining the conversation are Michelle Madrid and Wesley Babers with White Mountain Regional Medical Center in Arizona, and Shannon Studden, Senior Program Specialist with the National Rural Health Resource Center. "The why is what drives teams to success; when they know the why, when they understand the why, they are going to be on board." ~Michelle Madrid

In this inaugural episode of Managing from the Middle: Leading Through Change, listeners will begin to understand the transition to value-based care and population health and why mid-level management plays a critical role. Joining the conversation are Kyle Southerland, Special Projects and Community Health Coordinator with Bacon County Hospital in Georgia and Terry Hill, Senior Advisor for Rural Health Leadership and Policy at the National Rural Health Resource Center. “You first have to realize that there is a change that is relevant, not just to leadership or mid-level managers, it’s relevant to the entire organization.” ~Kyle Southerland  Kyle Southerland grew up in Alma, GA, a small town known as the blueberry capital. Alma is a rural farming community with a population of less than 4,000. Bacon County Hospital and Health System is Alma’s largest employer. Kyle returned home in May of 2017 for an internship there became a full-time employee in August of 2017. His role includes ownership of multiple projects in population health, community engagement and quality improvement. Terry Hill grew up in Central Alaska about 200 miles away from the nearest hospital or clinic, so he comes to rural health with that background. Terry has been working with rural hospitals across the country for the last 30 years and is the founder of the National Rural Health Resource Center. He has moved to a senior advisor role but continues to work with rural hospitals in every state helping rural hospitals make the transition to value.   

This webinar will cover ground ambulance data reporting requirements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS). Following the webinar, participants will be able to: Recognize the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System reporting requirements for ground ambulance providers and suppliers and what it means to rural ambulance services Describe the implications for not reporting Recall resources available to support ground ambulance providers and suppliers Discuss ways that Flex Programs can support rural ambulance services in data reporting efforts

This SHIP Technical Assistance Webinar will focus on successful quality improvement (QI) activities being implemented by the Georgia State Office of Rural Health HCAHPS 'Guide to Change' Consortium, and the North Dakota Critical Access Hospital Quality Network. These SHIP grantees will share their QI activity goals, challenges, outcomes, and best practices, as well as provide background on their consortium and network development.

In this episode, Dr. Barnett discusses their new cardiac rehab program, how it relates to pulmonary rehab programs, the financial risk, innovation, and resources necessary for this new program, and the future of COPD care McKenzie Health System is a critical access hospital in Sandusky, Michigan. Dr. Steve Barnett, President and CEO of McKenzie Health System, began his career in health care as a respiratory therapist before receiving a bachelor’s in nursing from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Dr. Barnett received a master’s degree in anesthesia and practiced that for many years before getting more involved in administrative work. Dr. Barnett eventually transitioned to the CEO role of a critical access hospital and went back and received his doctorate in health care administration.

In this episode, Tracy, Valerie, and Connie discuss Daviess Community Hospital’s pulmonary rehab program and how it started, what they have learned so far in the three years of their program, COPD from both a patient and hospital aspect, and the future of COPD care. Daviess Community Hospital is a 74-bed, non-profit hospital in Washington, Indiana with an extensive pulmonary rehabilitation program. Tracy Conroy serves as the chief executive officer and provides operational, financial, and strategic leadership that supports the mission and vision of Daviess. She has over 25 years of leadership experience in both acute and long-term care, population health management, outpatient clinics, and regional partnerships. Valerie Roark is a Registered Respiratory Therapist working with Daviess Community Hospital for the past 30 years as the Director of the Cardiopulmonary Department, EEG's, Sleep Diagnostics and Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Connie Wilson is currently the Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehabilitation nurse. Connie has been an RN for 34 years with 28 years in Cardiac Rehabilitation and 25 years in Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

In a short moment we can all think of and imagine the immense diversity of networks that are forming all across our country. We know that networks are born out of the needs of their rural communities, especially during these complex times of change and transition within the health care environment. But we want to know more about how-to strategically build robust networks and how-to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of networks. We need to learn about the science of networks. In a recent RHND grantee workshop, grantees learned not only about basic network science but also how to visualize and study their own networks to leverage key strategies. The network leaders mapped the current state of their networks and then mapped the ideal state of their networks. This exercise created an opportunity for network leaders to strategically think about network relationships. The result of this kind of network thinking opens the door for figuring out how to be strategic in managing networks and how to measure and evaluation the strength and vitality of their network.

The ongoing success and longevity of a grant project is dependent on the sustainability of the rural health network that is implementing it. Sustainability is defined as the network’s ability to achieve desired outcomes and maintain the ability to do so over time. The ability to do so is a goal of FORHP grant funding. The purpose of the Network Sustainability Action Plan Toolkit, comprised of a guide, template, and sample, is to provide a framework for rural health networks to actively plan for sustainability as network leaders deploy their networks’ business plans. Join the webinar to learn about the three phases to completing your Network Sustainability Action Plan.

Lindsay Corcoran is an accomplished senior consultant and practice management professional with over ten years of healthcare and medical office experience. At Stroudwater Associates, Lindsay focuses on supporting and sustaining healthcare access for rural communities through hospital operational improvement and affiliation strategies, and has assisted rural and community hospitals and clinics across the country to improve operational and financial performance. Results-oriented and highly organized, Lindsay is a skilled and effective communicator with medical providers, patients, and administration.   Laurie Daigle, a senior consultant at Stroudwater Revenue Cycle Solution, is a certified professional coder with over 18 years of experience in medical insurance claim processing, medical billing software training, auditing, and healthcare financial management. She has years of experience as a manager for a national commercial payor, and extensive experience in Healthcare Management, from physician group practices to large academic institutions. She has been instrumental in the creation of Revenue Integrity resources to unify coding, billing, and compliance concerns for total and inclusive revenue cycle oversight. She has led successful initiatives to increase physician and departmental productivity, to improve business office efficiency and accuracy, and to develop policies and procedures for all areas within the Revenue Cycle.   In this episode, Lindsay and Laurie discuss the billing and coding considerations for hospitals and pulmonary rehab programs, the financial challenges hospitals with these programs face, opportunities for hospitals within their existing pulmonary rehab programs, where to find up-to-date financial resources on COPD programs, and the future of COPD care.

Networks are feeling the pressures of health care transformation. They are doing much work with minimal staff, while trying to remain a stable force in their communities. Unsurprisingly, this pattern can lead to both physical and emotional challenges, compromised work quality, and employee turnover. During this webinar networks will learn about the common causes of burnout, as well as the three top-rated tools for integrating resiliency and positive psychology into daily perspectives, workflow, and organizational culture. Organizations who foster resiliency experience improved retention, increased productivity, and have physically and emotionally healthier teams.

Dive deeper into the History and Background of the Network Sustainability Toolkit through this recorded presentation. This recorded presentation answers the questions of why we embarked on this big project in 2014, what do we mean by Sustainability, and what are the key characteristics of a sustained rural health network?

Michelle Collins is a registered respiratory therapist at Lincoln Health, Franklin Memorial Hospital, and Central Maine Medical Center in Maine.  Working in a rural, critical access, and tertiary hospital, Michelle has wide range of hospital experiences, a passion for cardio pulmonary medicine, and a strong concern for her patients and making sure they have access to the care that they need and the knowledge to utilize the tools at their disposal. Michelle discusses her definition of leadership, the history of respiratory therapy, the gaps in COPD healthcare, reimbursement issues related to COPD treatment and pulmonary rehab program closures, COPD Patient obstacles, respiratory treatment and medication, respiratory and medical training, and the hope going forward with COPD care.

Dr. Dan Doyle is a physician at New River Health Association, a Federally Qualified Community Health Center (FQHC) in West Virginia. He is a physician and consultant at Cabin Creek Health Center, another FQHC in West Virginia, Medical Director of New River Breathing Center, a Black Lung Clinic which is part of the West Virginia and Federal Black Lung Clinics Program. As of 2013, Dr. Doyle has been the Medical Director of the Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary Rehabilitation project of West Virginia, which is a collaborative effort of Cabin Creek Health System FQHC, New River Health Association FQHC, Southern West Virginia Health System FQHC, West Caldwell County FQHC in North Carolina, Boone Memorial Hospital, and Jackson General Hospital providing community-based pulmonary rehabilitation services. Dr. Doyle discusses his medical background and how he got initially got involved at the New River Health Association, the impact of COPD on rural communities, the lack of access to COPD care, diagnosing COPD and pulmonary function testing, the Dorney Koppel Foundation, the COPD National Action Plan, and the future of COPD care.

Driving change isn’t easy. We sometimes spend a lot of time and energy developing what we think is a well-designed change initiative, only to have others’ reactions derail the plan entirely. It’s likely that you’re working through many changes as we come upon the last year in the 3-year Network Development grant cycle. In this webinar, we’ll take a look at both the rational and emotional side of a change initiative and give you some strategies for addressing each. We’ll explore ways not only to keep other people engaged in the change process, but also to keep your own energy up as you encounter challenges along the way. We’ll also share some tools designed to help you pinpoint sources of resistance and develop strategies to address them accordingly. 

Episode 2 featuring Paul Moore, DPh Paul Moore is a Senior Health Policy Advisor for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and Executive Secretary for the National Advisory Committee for Rural Health and Human Services. Paul discusses his background in rural health care and pharmacy, hospital administration turnover and rural recruiting challenges, the essential aspects of leadership, his professional and personal experiences with COPD, COPD’s lack of national attention and funding, COPD patient and financial statistics, the impact of COPD on rural communities, rural workforce issues with COPD, and the future of COPD care.

Financial forecasting begins with thinking through how to deliver the product or service that your customers may want. Rural Health Innovations (RHI) has developed a tool, Product and Service Canvas, that helps generate thinking for this development. To get to the end goal and complete a Canvas, you must be clear on your financial goals and consider your assumptions. This work prepares you to estimate costs and project revenues, ultimately forecasted net income for each of your network’s products and services. To take the mystery out of financial forecasting, RHI, in partnership with Steve Stoddard, have developed a tool that will help you think through and calculate a forecasted net income for each of your network’s products and services. With financial forecasts in-hand, you will be able to complete your business planning effort ultimately providing your network members and potential funders with a better understanding of your network’s sustainability, where you are achieving your goals, and are able to continue doing so over time.

The transition from volume-based payment to value-based payment is underway – accountable care organizations, bundled payment plans, and global budgets are coming to rural hospitals. With value-based payment comes an expectation for care-improving and cost-saving performance. Value-based performance will be driven by, and evaluated on, physician performance. Therefore, to be successful in value-based payment strategies, rural hospitals must actively engage and collaborate with local physicians. Rural hospitals that proactively engage physicians in the transitions to new payment and care models will be most capable of receiving value-based payment. Dr. MacKinney will discuss new value-based care and payment models that are increasingly prevalent, even in rural areas. He will discuss the stereotypical differences between physicians and administrators and how an understanding of those differences can increase the likelihood of trusting relationships and shared visions. Lastly, Dr. MacKinney will discuss recent updates to the Quality Payment Program. Objectives ·         Understand the increasingly important role physicians play in value-based care and payment ·         Describe the stereotypical differences between administrators and physicians ·         Discuss administrative strategies likely to improve physician engagement ·         Understand new Quality Payment Program updates

The webinar covers the various components of value-based care and explains how the new alternative payments models will make a positive difference for rural hospitals. Rural accountable care organization (ACO) leaders will share their experiences (successes and challenges) with creating culture change to support the transition to value-based care and improve the perception of rural providers within the payer community. Understand the importance and financial impact care coordination and prevention can have on population health. Learn how to rebuild and grow your primary care base to prepare for value-based payment models. Participants will be able to: Understand the differences of ACOs, clinically integrated networks, patient-centered medical homes and other alternative payment models Understand that the move to value-based care is driving the new delivery and payment models Understand the value-based care framework and various strategies to support new delivery and payment models Realize the impact care coordination and prevention have on population health to keep people healthy, control costs and improve your primary care base Understand the importance for rural hospital leaders to implement a culture change process Describe the advantages and disadvantages of being part of an ACO or other alternative payment model Evaluate the return on investment (whether the new programs will work and not work) for rural hospitals

The National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) has partnered with Dr. Bill Auxier of Rural Health Leadership Radio to produce a six-part podcast series about Rural Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its prevalence in rural America. This series from The Center provides information about COPD, how rural providers are meeting the needs of their communities, and the importance of billing and coding appropriately while ensuring quality of care is being addressed. Each podcast features a guest with expert knowledge in COPD and rural health. Episode 1 featuring Grace Anne Dorney-Koppel Grace Anne Dorney Koppel is President of the Dorney-Koppel Foundation, the immediate former President and a current board member of the COPD Foundation, and chair of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee for COPD Foundation. Grace Anne is also a COPD patient, diagnosed in 2001.   Grace Anne explains COPD’s prevalence, its symptoms, the stigma surrounding the disease, her personal experiences with COPD, the challenges of COPD treatment in rural communities, her work with the Dorney-Koppel Foundation, and the path to success with COPD.  

A business plan outlines the path your network intends to take in order to be sustainable. It builds on your marketing plan by spelling out the resources, partners, and income needed in order to deliver products and services to your target market.  A well-crafted business plan can serve not only as a guiding document for network leaders and staff, but also as a tool for sharing information and demonstrating value to members, potential partners, and funding sources. 

The core mission of public health has consistently been to reduce the leading causes of preventable death and disability. Moreover, health departments are increasing efforts to work with health care systems and other community partners to address the growing incidence of the leading causes of death in many communities, which are frequently chronic disease, drug abuse, and suicide. These issues are consistently found in Community Health Improvement Plans in both rural and urban communities across the United States. As hospitals and health departments increasingly focus on quality and outcomes, including the health status of their communities, they should seek out opportunities to collaborate on implementing community health improvement plans. Mobilization of community-based partnerships is a core function of public health, so health departments should be a natural partner for hospitals that are seeking to develop sustainable strategies to improve the health of their communities.

This webinar will highlight the findings from the 2018 Rural Hospital Financial Summit, held in May, 2018, where over 11 subject matter experts gathered together to update the key financial indicators for hospital success in the transition to value-based payment systems.

The Opioid Epidemic has been spreading throughout America, including rural America. There is a recognition that healthcare providers and facilities need to step up to combat this epidemic. Our rural Michigan Emergency Department recognized this problem and made up a plan to take action six years ago. We will discuss how to set up and implement a program designed to limit opioid prescribing in a rural ED, and one that offers patients different resources to help with their narcotic addiction or dependencies. Objectives Gain an understanding of the dangers of the increasing rate of prescription drug abuse in the United States Gain an understanding of the major components needed to develop an "oxy-Free Emergency Department Identify patients who exhibit narcotic medication-seeking behavior Develop and implement a plan for managing patients seeking narcotic prescription medications in the Emergency Department

This webinar walks rural hospital leaders through the options to implement a financially sustainable care coordination program. Objectives: Explore options to connect patients with Chronic Care Management and Transitional Care Management with communities, including how to bill for these services Learn about the evidence behind the Behavioral Health Integration models targeted to the rural community and options for billing Learn about resources for rural communities to get started with care coordination programs

The Finance 101 manual has been recently updated! This new manual expands on the former manual that was focused solely on Critical Access Hospitals. The new manual not only includes updates for the Critical Access Hospital but is expanded to include information and guidance for small rural PPS hospitals and rural health clinics. This session will provide an overview of the updates and how Critical Access Hospitals, small rural PPS providers and rural health clinics can utilize the information in this manual for their organizations. Objectives Learn about the Critical Access Hospital updates in the new manual Obtain a better understanding of small rural PPShospital issues and strategies Acquire information regarding the finances and operations of rural health clinics and strategies to improve performance

The core mission of public health has consistently been to reduce the leading causes of preventable death and disability, with a special emphasis on reducing health disparities in underserved populations. Health departments, however, have varied in the extent to which they have adapted their practices to address the growing incidence of chronic disease, drug abuse, and suicide, now the leading causes of premature death in most rural communities in the United States. As hospitals are increasingly focusing on quality and outcomes, including the health status of their communities, they should seek out opportunities to partner with local, regional and state public health agencies. The core public health functions of informatics and mobilization of community-based partnerships are also critical to hospitals that are seeking to improve the health of their communities. In this session participants will learn: The changing role of public health in the United States; The core elements of Community Health Assessments and Community Health Plans required of accredited public health agencies; Common sources of public health data that can inform hospital population health efforts; and Ways to address the social determinants of health by working in collaboration with public health and other community-based partners.

This TASC 90 webinar recording will include updates from the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC), Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA), the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), to include both the Flex Program and policies impacting critical access hospitals. Learning Objectives: Understand the fundamentals of rural health clinics (RHCs) Learn how RHCs interface with critical access hospitals (CAHs)

This year’s Network Technical Assistance (TA) Assessment was designed to measure your perceptions of your network’s efforts and activities as they relate to specific characteristics of a sustainable network. In this webinar, we’ll take a look at the results of the Network Sustainability assessment and explore what they tell us about how we are doing as a cohort, aiming for sustainability.  We’ll also spend some time in virtual roundtable discussions where you can share specific challenges and successes you’ve experienced in the past year and offer input about additional resources and tools that RHI can provide to continue supporting you on the path to sustainability.

Through small group discussions regarding integrating behavioral health at the All Program Meeting Cohort launch in early March, multiple ideas and challenges were raised. Integrating Behavioral Health with primary care is a critical component within many Network Development projects, and many grantees reported challenges associated with workforce and workflows in the course of their work.  Our conversation from our first Cohort Call continues through a presentation from Dr. Carrie Cadwell, Psy D, HSPP, CEO of Four County Counseling Center in Indiana.  In this presentation, Dr. Cadwell addresses some commonly reported workforce- and workflow-related challenges faced by those working to integrate behavioral health into primary care.

Your network has already created a strategic plan for your grant project and an evaluation plan allowing you to gauge progress toward your goals. At this point in your project, it’s the right time to continue your network’s path to sustainability by developing a marketing plan.   While we often think of marketing only as spreading a message, it goes far beyond that. Through the work of creating a marketing plan you’ll build a thorough understanding of member needs and ensure that the network’s current and future products and services meet critical member needs. You’ll also use strategies for tailoring communication in ways that are most meaningful to your audience.   In this webinar, we’ll walk through a toolkit to support your work of developing a marketing plan for your project. The toolkit includes a guide, template and samples to help you develop an effective, impactful marketing plan. The marketing plan grant deliverable is due to the Electronic Handbook (EHB) by December 31, 2018. 

This Flex Virtual Knowledge Group (VKG) webinar recording will focus on Roles of EMS in the Transition to Value. Learning objectives include:  Learn how the transition to value affects EMS Discuss the potential for EMS to adapt in a value-based health care system Discover how Flex Programs are working with EMS in the transition to value This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB1RH24206, Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Grantees, $1,100,000 (0% financed with nongovernmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.