Author: dianawinder

NRHA Webinar: How Rural Hospitals are Strengthening Swing Bed Compliance to Secure Reimbursement and Prevent Denials, May 14

May 1, 2025

NRHA Webinar: How Rural Hospitals are Strengthening Swing Bed Compliance to Secure Reimbursement and Prevent Denials, May 14

Strong documentation and compliance are the foundation of a successful swing bed program. Rural hospitals that get it right secure sustainable reimbursement, avoid costly denials, and maximize the value of their swing bed services. But with shifting Medicare regulations and complex eligibility requirements, how do you ensure your hospital is set up for success?

Join Valorie Clouse, RN, AGNP, FNP, CCM, who has worked extensively with rural hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to strengthen swing bed compliance, improve case management, and prevent denials. She has helped rural facilities develop documentation processes that support medical necessity, meet Medicare requirements, and protect financial sustainability.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Documentation practices that ensure compliance and prevent denials with their swing beds,
  • Medicare’s latest regulations on swing bed eligibility and reimbursement,
  • How rural hospitals are securing sustainable revenue and strengthening financial stability with their swing beds,
  • Best practices for optimizing swing bed utilization without financial risk

This session will provide rural hospital leaders with clear, practical guidance to navigate swing bed compliance, avoid common pitfalls, and strengthen financial sustainability.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, May 14, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to register

AHA Webinar: Advancing Patient Safety: Integrated Nursing Practice, Professional Development and Patient Education, May 8

April 30, 2025

AHA Webinar: Advancing Patient Safety: Integrated Nursing Practice, Professional Development and Patient Education, May 8

It is critical to implement strategies in both nursing development and patient education to enhance patient safety in today’s health care landscape. This webinar will showcase how leading hospitals do just that through innovative approaches.

During this roundtable conversation, leaders from the AHA and Elsevier will share success stories and approaches that have transformed health care organizations. The discussion will illustrate how these approaches create exceptional care delivery and optimal patient outcomes.

Hospital leaders and nursing professionals attending this session will gain valuable insights into enhancing nurse readiness and development, implementing supportive systems that empower nurses at every career stage, and adopting forward-thinking patient education approaches to advance both safety and satisfaction.

Attendees will learn:

  • Discover evidence-based strategies to bridge the readiness gap for novice nurses and accelerate their clinical and professional development,
  • Explore comprehensive support systems that empower nurses at all experience levels to progress and deliver safer patient care.
  • Examine innovative frameworks for patient education that enhance safety outcomes and create sustainable improvements.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, May 8, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: Rural EMS Staffing in 2025: How Rural Hospitals are Reducing Delays and Strengthening Patient Care, May 8

April 30, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Rural EMS Staffing in 2025: How Rural Hospitals are Reducing Delays and Strengthening Patient Care, May 8

Rural EMS staffing shortages aren’t ne – but the strategies rural hospitals are using to manage them are evolving fast. In this educational presentation, rural healthcare leaders and EMS experts will share what’s working now, from cross-training clinical staff and building local workforce pipelines to using telehealth and regional collaboration to keep response times down and ensure patient care doesn’t suffer.

After attending this session, you’ll be able to:

  • Identify workforce development strategies rural hospitals are using to recruit and retain EMS personnel,
  • Apply cross-training and collaborative staffing models to improve response times and ensure continuity of care, and
  • Advocate for policy changes and funding to support sustainable EMS staffing in rural communities.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, May 8, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Upcoming Webinar: Turning Price Transparency into Strategic Advantage, May 13

April 30, 2025

Upcoming Webinar: Turning Price Transparency into Strategic Advantage, May 13

Healthcare leaders are navigating a challenging reimbursement landscape – rising costs, shrinking margins, and a flood of public pricing data that’s difficult to translate into action.

But what if publicly available price transparency data could be your greatest asset?

Join this practical conversation with provider and analytics leaders who will share how hospitals like Carlinville Area Hospital are using advanced analytics to uncover millions in missed revenue, benchmark prices with confidence, and rebalance payor relationships.

What You’ll Learn

  • How one CAH identified $50 million in potential revenue leakage using public data,
  • Why chargemaster insights, market share shifts, and price benchmarking can drive payor negotiation strategies,
  • What CFOs and hospital leaders must do differently to compete in the price transparency era.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, May 13, 1:00p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Upcoming Webinar: Ensuring Reviews Reflect Reality: How to Build an Award-Winning Reputation and Patient Experience, May 13

April 30, 2025

Upcoming Webinar: Ensuring Reviews Reflect Reality: How to Build an Award-Winning Reputation and Patient Experience, May 13

After acquiring a neighboring health system, New Jersey-based Virtua Health implemented a strategic campaign to ensure the online reputation of its hospital in Willingboro (NJ) reflected its high quality of care. But by operationalizing patient feedback and adopting a more collaborative, data-driven approach, the hospital transformed its reputation – both online and in the community.

Join this webinar to uncover Virtua Health’s playbook for success and leave with proven strategies to elevate your organization’s reputation and patient experience.

Key Takeaways:

  • How Virtua Health aligned marketing and patient experience to improve satisfaction,
  • The role of online reviews in shaping hospital reputation and culture, and
  • Strategies to break down data silos and operationalize patient feedback.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, May 1, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

 

Rural Health Capital Resources Training Series

April 29, 2025

Rural Health Capital Resources Training Series

Looking to secure funding for rural health development? The NOSORH Rural Health Capital Resources Training Series 2025 is your key to success!

Led by national experts in community development finance, federal funding programs, healthcare collaborations, and rural philanthropy, this free virtual series provides actionable insights and proven strategies for securing funding and building impactful partnerships.

Who Should Attend:

  • State Office of Rural Health, Primary Care Office, and non-profit organization staff
  • Community Development Finance Institution and Community Development Professionals
  • Clinic or hospital staff
  • Organizations with identified community needs

This series features three live sessions on the following dates:

  • Tuesday, May 6, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET

101: Rural Health Capital Resources Overview – Participants will discover the basics of federal, state, and private sources of capital for rural health and learn how capital resources are used in rural settings to achieve community health improvement goals.

  • Tuesday, May 13, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET

102: Rural Health Capital Resources – Accessing Expertise – Participants will explore how to access federal, state, and private capital sources to support rural health initiatives.

  • Wednesday, June 18, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET

103: The World of Rural Philanthropy: How to Effectively Engage and Partner – This session provides an overview of the structure of the rural-serving philanthropic sector, explores how philanthropy views rural organizations and communities, and shares practical lessons for engaging and building long-term partnerships with rural funders.

Cost: Free

Click Here to Learn More and Register

Sign up for the Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals

April 29, 2025

Sign up for the Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals

Protect your rural hospital with Microsoft security solutions, resources and training at no cost.

Rural hospitals provide critical services to the communities they serve across the United States, but they are under significant pressure. Cyberattacks on hospitals are a growing threat that can severely impact patient care and compromise private data.

Microsoft is committed to helping rural hospitals keep their health services sage and secure by investing in the new Microsoft Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals. This program provides affordable access to Microsoft security solutions, builds cybersecurity capacity, and helps solve root challenges through innovation.

Who is Eligible:

  • The Microsoft Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals is available to all rural hospitals in the United States.
    • The following are ineligible for the program:
      • Urban hospitals,
      • Healthcare networks
      • Health plans
      • Ambulatory/outpatient healthcare organizations, and
      • Hospitals located outside the United States

What is Included in the Program?

  • Free Cybersecurity Assessment
    • Offered through a trusted Microsoft Cybersecurity Partner to evaluate and mitigate your hospital’s cybersecurity risks.
  • Curated Learning Pathways and Resources
    • Free cyber awareness training for frontline staff and foundational cyber risk management certification for IT staff.
  • One Year of Free Windows 10 Extended Security Update
    • Offers additional year of product support on Windows 10, when available in Winter 2025.
  • Security Product Discounts/Offers
    • Rural independent Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Emergency Hospitals are eligible for Microsoft nonprofit pricing. Check eligibility Here.
    • All other rural hospitals using Office 365/Microsoft 365, can get one year free of Advanced Security Suite, Microsoft 365 ES Security, and EMS E3 (up to 250 new licenses).
  • Click Here to visit Microsoft Healthcare for more information about licensing and support options for ineligible organizations.

Click Here to Learn More and Sign Up

NRHA Now Accepting RHC, CAH Event Presentation Proposals

April 29, 2025

NRHA Now Accepting RHC, CAH Event Presentation Proposals

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is now accepting presentation proposals for the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Conferences.

The goal of these events is to share effective practices, policies, and information and provide insights and best practices addressing many of the access, quality, and patient safety issues confronted by CAHs and RHCs.

Five interest tracks are available for CAH Conference submissions:

  • Innovation,
  • Financial,
  • Leadership,
  • Quality, and
  • Best practices

This year’s events will be held September 23 – 26 in Kansas City, MO.

The deadline for submissions is June 3.

Click Here to Learn More

Click Here to submit a proposal

New Report: 5 Steps for Creating a Better Healthcare Breakroom to Boost Nurse Morale and Retention

April 29, 2025

New Report: 5 Steps for Creating a Better Healthcare Breakroom to Boost Nurse Morale and Retention

Seventy-three percent of nurses say a high-quality breakroom helps reduce stress and fatigue – yet approximately one in three rarely take breaks. With nurse burnout and turnover on the rise, healthcare organizations must make staff well-being a priority.

This report shares five essential steps to designing a breakroom that boosts morale, retention and productivity.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Minimize nurse burnout and turnover, as well as its costly impact on patient care,
  • Set up a functional, comfortable and restorative breakroom,
  • Build a culture that prioritizes well-being through improved breakroom engagement, and
  • Use nurse feedback to create a breakroom to create a breakroom that improves job satisfaction.

Click Here to Download Report