Author: dianawinder

NRHA Webinar: $264K and Counting: How One Rural Clinic Scaled RPM + CCM Without Burning Out Staff, October 2

September 25, 2025

NRHA Webinar: $264K and Counting: How One Rural Clinic Scaled RPM + CCM Without Burning Out Staff, October 2

A rural Clinic is on track to earn $264K in annual reimbursements by implementing Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Chronic Care Management (CCM). In this session, Dr. Xiaoxu Kang will share nearly two decades of healthcare experience and national recognition for advancing patient-centered models of care to break down how this clinic made RPM and CCM successful.

Attendees will hear what worked – and what didn’t – when it came to integrating workflows, engaging providers, maintaining compliance, and protecting staff from burnout.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify practical strategies rural clinics can use to launch or optimize RPM and CCM programs,
  • Understand how workflow design and provider engagement impact sustainability and compliance, and
  • Apply lessons learned from real-world results to improve patient outcomes and strengthen clinic finances.

Join this session to see how RPM and CCM can strengthen both care delivery and the bottom line for rural clinics – without overloading your staff.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, October 2, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: Turning IT Challenges into Opportunity: How Freestone Medical Center Saved $500K and Expanded Care, September 30

September 25, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Turning IT Challenges into Opportunity: How Freestone Medical Center Saved $500K and Expanded Care, September 30

Many rural hospitals recognize that their IT systems need an upgrade, but they lack the time, staff, or budget to undertake a comprehensive overhaul. This session shares how one rural facility took a phased, strategic approach to modernization, resulting in improved cybersecurity, reduced downtime, and over $500,000 reinvested into expanded care delivery.

You’ll hear from Brian Doerr, a rural IT expert who has helped hospitals in more than 40 states navigate telecom funding, privacy planning, and infrastructure strategy. A frequent speaker at AHA’s Rural Healthcare Leadership Conferences, Brian brings practical, tested advice for rural leaders who need solutions, not more systems.

Participants will:

  • Learn how a phased approach to IT upgrades can minimize disruption and avoid common pitfalls,
  • Understand how to identify and prioritize improvements that align with rural staffing and budget realities, and
  • See how tracking metrics like downtime, efficiency, and savings can support future planning and reporting.

If you’re responsible for IT decisions and stretched thin on resources, this session offers real-world strategies you can apply now, without adding complexity.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, September 30, 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

RHIhub This Week Now Available

September 25, 2025

RHIhub This Week Now Available

As an information clearinghouse on rural health issues, RHIhub provides access to a wide range of resources on relevant topics.

RHIhub This Week keeps you informed of the latest rural news, funding opportunities, publications and events.

Click Here to View

Registration Open: 2025 Rural Health Day Celebration, November 20

September 24, 2025

Registration Open: 2025 Rural Health Day Celebration, November 20

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care is hosting the Annual Missouri Rural Health Day celebration to honor the noble, community-spirited nature that prevails in rural Missouri.

Missouri Rural Health Day promotes the “Power of Rural” and the ongoing efforts to communicate, educate, collaborate, and innovate to improve the health of rural Missourians.

Cost: Free

  • No registration fee
  • No parking fee
  • Lunch will be served

When: Thursday, November 20, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Location:

Capital Bluffs Event Center at Turkey Creek Golf Course

1616 Oil Well Road

Jefferson City, MO 65101

Audience: The audience is anyone interested in celebrating and learning about rural health; associations, hospitals, clinics, state agencies, community groups, and legislators.

Registration is required.

Click link below to register:

https://missouriwic.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4TQZtm2X3dbveZM

Need assistance with the registration process or have questions:

Please contact Diana Winder, diana.winder@health.mo.gov, 573 526-2486

Seeking Nominations for Rural Health Champion – Deadline October 1

September 24, 2025

Seeking Nominations for Rural Health Champion – Deadline October 1

Do you know someone who works in Rural Health that goes above and beyond to ensure that patients living in rural areas have access to the best health care possible?

Doctors, nurses, medical assistants, radiology technicians, pharmacists, therapists, front desk staff, administrators, and volunteers work hard every day to provide the best health care possible for patients living in rural areas of our state and many of them quietly go about their work with no recognition for the fantastic work they are doing.

The Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care (ORHPC) is seeking nominations for the 2025 Rural Health Champion. This award is designed to honor a minimum of one individual and one group whose contributions are making a difference in Missouri rural healthcare through collaboration, education, innovation, and communication.

We will be honoring Rural Health Champions in an award ceremony during our Annual Rural Health Day Celebration, scheduled for Thursday, November 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Capital Bluffs Event Center in Jefferson City.

Click Here to Register for the Event

Please click Here to Nominate Your Rural Health Champion

New Microsoft Offers to Support Rural Health Efficiency Innovation, and Resiliency

September 24, 2025

New Microsoft Offers to Support Rural Health Efficiency Innovation, and Resiliency

To build on Microsoft’s philanthropic commitment to all rural health hospitals in the US, the Rural Health Resiliency program is pleased to announce that the following offers are now available:

  • Windows 10 Extended Security Update (ESU) Free One-Year Extension
    • The free one-year Windows 10 ESU is now available to all US rural hospitals.
    • The ESU extends the use of Windows 10 devices in a secure manner, while lightening the cost burden for the transition to Windows 11.
    • The ESU extension is valid through October 13, 2026, and covers up to 250 devices running the latest software update (22H2) per rural hospital.

How to Access Windows 10 ESU and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    1. To be qualified for this offer, confirm your hospital is listed as “rural” in the Urban and Rural Hospitals database.
      • All independent Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Emergency Hospitals are also qualified.
      • For health system customers, only the specific hospitals listed as rural in the database qualify for this offer.
    1. If you are not yet registered for the Microsoft Rural Health Resiliency Program, register here.
    2. If you do not have an existing Microsoft Account, click here to create your account today. If you have an existing account, sign in as the administrator of the Office 365 account.
    3. Accept TechSoup as a Provider and accept the Microsoft Customer Agreement.
    4. Fill out this request form
    5. Look for an email from TechSoup within the next five business days. It will include the product keys to access your licenses. Once you receive that mail, you will have five calendar days to download the product keys. You will receive one product key per order.

Click Here to Learn More about Microsoft’s ESU program

  • Pro Bono Cloud Capability Evaluations

Many rural hospitals still depend on on-premises infrastructure due to financial, technical, and connectivity challenges. This legacy IT drains budgets, slows staff, and steals time from patient care. The Cloud Capability Evaluation gives rural hospitals a clear roadmap to shift IT infrastructure to be cloud-powered, secure, and cost effective.

    • If your hospital is already registered for the Rural Health Resiliency program send an email to: RuralHealth@microsoft.com to schedule your free evaluation.
    • If your hospital has not yet registered for the program, and would like to access the Free Cloud Capability Evaluation and other offers, click here to register today.
  • Free AI-powered Claims Denial Navigator Tool

To streamline insurance claim processing, the Claims Denial Navigator – the first AI innovation co-created with healthcare leaders in the Rural Health AI Innovation Lab (RHAIL) – is now available for free on GitHub: RHAIL Claims Denial Navigator.

This AI-powered tool helps recover lost revenue and streamline the process of researching and resolving denied Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance claims. Built to be lightweight and flexible, this tool:

    • Requires minimal capacity in SharePoint, Azure, and Power Apps,
    • Operates entirely within your hospital or organization’s existing IT environment, and
    • Is EHR-agnostic with no integration or interfacing required

The Microsoft Rural Health Resiliency (RHR) Program provides free cybersecurity, affordability, and AI tools to all rural hospitals in the U.S.

Applications Now Being Accepted: Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)

September 24, 2025

Applications Now Being Accepted: Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)

The Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) is currently accepting applications for qualifying health care, mental health, or public health professionals. Applicants may be eligible for up to $60,000 in loan repayment to apply to your qualifying educational debt through the HPLRP in exchange for a two-year service commitment in an area of need.

Deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. CST, November 1, 2025.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

OR

Send questions to DHSS.LoanRepayment@health.mo.gov

Whitepaper: RCM at a Crossroads: How 100+ Finance Leaders are Preparing for What’s Next

September 22, 2025

Whitepaper: RCM at a Crossroads: How 100+ Finance Leaders are Preparing for What’s Next

Delayed reimbursements, rising denials and under-resourced revenue cycle teams are putting hospital margins at risk.

This report shares insights from 115 finance and RCM leaders on how health systems are upgrading workflows with automation, hybrid staffing models and strategic partnerships to regain control.

Download now to explore the most pressing RCM challenges and see how top performers are building resilient revenue cycles for 2025 and beyond.

You’ll Learn:

  • Why traditional denial management fall short, and what high performers do differently,
  • How hybrid RCM staffing models support scalability and reduce burnout, and
  • Automation strategies that drive real ROI – not just added complexity.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Whitepaper: New Guide Tackles Connected Chronic Conditions Across Care Teams

September 22, 2025

Whitepaper: New Guide Tackles Connected Chronic Conditions Across Care Teams

About 1 in 3 U.S. adults have at least three risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome – a condition rooted in the overlap of heart disease, kidney disease and metabolic disorders like Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Yet care delivery remains fragmented, with primary and specialty teams often working in silos.

The American Heart Association’s CKM Health Implementation Guide offers a practical framework to help clinicians detect risk earlier, align workflows and deliver more person-centered care. No matter your specialty, this guide shows how to operationalize the science and design care around whole-patient needs.

Download to Learn:

  • How to stage and manage overlapping heart, kidney and metabolic conditions from prevention to progression,
  • What to add – and remove – from workflows: waist circumference, kidney screening, social risk, and
  • How to implement a CKM coordinator model to connect care across specialties.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program

September 22, 2025

Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Facility Loan Guarantee Program facilitates access to capital funding and reduces financing costs for health center by guaranteeing up to 80% of financing needed to support capital infrastructure projects.

After approving a loan guarantee, HRSA monitors the loan repayment status and assesses the operational/financial viability of the health center during the life of the loan.

Funding may be used for the construction, expansion, alteration, renovation, and modernization of health center medical facilities.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Health centers interested in applying should email LGProgram@hrsa.gov and provide the following information:

  • Health Center name and H80 Award Number,
  • Anticipated project scope,
  • Type of construction activity (new construction, renovation, new site, replacement facility),
  • Total project cost,
  • Financing needs and potential lender(s), and
  • Timeline and status of project planning and financing

Click Here to Learn More