February 15, 2023

HRSA Regions V and VII Workforce Workshop

Wednesday, March 1, 12 pm CT

HRSA leadership will present on the agency’s initiatives focused on addressing healthcare workforce needs. The purpose of the meeting is to identify workforce needs and challenges with the goal of building capacity at health care facilities to train the next generation of clinicians.

Register Here

February 15, 2023

HHS Region 7 Virtual Office Hours

Wednesday, March 1, 9 am CT

The Office Hours will provide partners and stakeholders the networking platform to engage with HHS leadership and subject matter experts to get answers to program and resource questions, request technical assistance and training, and share critical surveillance about emergent local, state, and regional healthcare issues/trends. Agencies will provide a few program updates, followed by a Q&A session.

Register Here

February 15, 2023

Customizable Communications Toolkit

The Customizable Communications Toolkit provides rural health care organizations with free templates to support a range of internal and external communication campaigns focused on COVID-19 vaccine confidence, health care confidence, preventative screening, swing beds, telehealth, and pulmonary rehabilitation services.

Available templates include brochures, digital and print ads, direct mail postcards, infographics, posters, press releases, radio scripts, social media graphics and sample posts, tip sheets, and website copy.

View Here

February 15, 2023

Understanding Value-Based Models Resources

It is hard to describe where you are going and feel motivated if the picture is unclear. Access resources to improve your understanding of the basics of population health and its relationship to current and future value-based models.

View Here

February 15, 2023

Webinar – Engaging and Retaining Employees in a Competitive Environment

Date: April 19, 2023

Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Central Time

Speaker: Shannon Studden, Independent Leadership Consultant

Rural hospitals and clinics across the country are facing significant challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining qualified employees. Staff turnover leads to work disruptions, workload imbalances, and increased uncertainty for the staff and patients left behind, not to mention the significant time and expense needed to recruit and train those hired in their place.

The Staff Sustainability Cycle is a process for improving the retention of high-performing staff – and as a result, strengthening continuity of health care services and employee well-being. The cycle takes a holistic approach by sharing best practices in recruitment, onboarding, learning & development, engagement & retention, and succession planning.

In this webinar you’ll learn about the elements in the Staff Sustainability Cycle and take a deep dive into some of the key practices that foster employee engagement and retention. We’ll share tools that you can use to strengthen your practices in these areas – thereby ensuring continuity of the critical services your health care organization provides to support the health of your community.

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Build familiarity with the elements of the staff sustainability cycle and the role that each plays in fostering engagement, retention, and continuity of services
  • Adopt best practices at each stage of the cycle
  • Use tools to support staff sustainability best practices

This event meets the requirement for one ACHE qualified education credit.

Register Here

February 15, 2023

Making the ACO Decision: How to Select an ACO

Date: March 15, 2023

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM Central Time

Speaker: Ralph Llewellyn, Eide Bailly LLP

The decision to engage in the ACO movement is a significant one. The first decision is the overall decision to join and embrace the ACO model. As is the case in all major decisions, one needs to ensure the organization understands and embraces the goals and vision of an ACO. The next decision is related to selecting which ACO to participate in. There are large ACOs and there are smaller ACOs. Some are regional while others are national in scope. This session will explore the question of how to select an ACO that is right for an organization.

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Identify variables to be considered when choosing an ACO
  • Compare the various financial models offered by ACOs
  • Recognize suitable questions to ask prior to joining an ACO

This event meets the requirement for one ACHE qualified education credit.

Register Here

February 15, 2023

Diverting to Care in Communities Convening

Missouri Foundation for Health invites you to join them for the Diverting to Care in Communities Convening on March 23, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Tiger Hotel in Columbia, Missouri.

This convening will bring together community representatives across behavioral health, law enforcement, public health, and community care to share efforts currently underway and strategize around future opportunities for improving the way individuals experiencing mental health and substance use emergencies are supported.

You should attend this convening if you:

  • Think arresting people experiencing a behavioral health crisis isn’t working
  • Want to learn with other communities across Missouri
  • Are considering applying to the Foundation’s next Diverting to Care request for applications which will support rural community partnerships between residents, health professionals, and law enforcement

Registration is limited to two representatives per organization. Attendance is capped at 50 so register today!

Register Here

 

February 14, 2023

Physician leadership is paramount to the success and health of rural hospitals and communities

With the constantly changing healthcare landscape, there has never been a more crucial time for physician leaders to have the tools, knowledge, and network of peers and experts they need to thrive in their roles.  These are things you don’t learn in medical school.

Physician leaders are unique. Physicians have been trained to take care of patients and provide leadership in doing so. Providing leadership within a rural hospital however is different, one of the resounding reasons for the creation of this program. This program was created for rural hospital CMOs and Physician Leaders by rural hospital CMOs and Physician Leaders.

What kind of value might you receive if you participate in this program? Come find out! Learn about this one-of-a-kind program created by rural hospital physician leaders for rural hospital physician leaders during a live webinar in February.

CMO Certification Program Webinar on February 22nd at 1 pm EST

CMO Certification Program Webinar on February 24th at 12 pm EST

To register for either of these webinar times click here.

Enrollment is open for all Certification Programs for 2023 Cohorts – visit our website for details and application information at www.crhleadership.com

February 14, 2023

Swing Bed Learning Action Network

Stroudwater Associates, in partnership with the Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, will be hosting monthly Swing Bed Learning Action Network (LAN) meetings for all Critical Access Hospitals participating in the Missouri Flex Quality Improvement Program. Each meeting will focus on a different Swing Bed topic. While participation in all LAN meetings is encouraged, individuals can register for the meeting topics most valuable to them. We encourage you to share this information with individuals within your organization who may be interested in participating.

The schedule below includes the meeting date and time, the link to register for each meeting, the meeting topic, and a brief description.

February 24th | 12-1pm CT: Swing Bed 101 – This education provides an overview of the “why” swing bed utilization is important; general Medicare eligibility requirements and rules and regulations to meet the Conditions of Participation for CAHs with Swing Beds. Register here.

March 24th | 1-2pm CT: Understanding the Five Categories of Skilled Services for Swing Bed Admissions – This education provides a review of the categories and criteria necessary for daily inpatient skilled nursing, rehabilitation, or a combination of services. Register here.

April 28th | 12-1pm CT: Swing Bed Documentation – This education will provide a review of required CMS documentation for Swing Bed patients and documentation improvement opportunities. Register here.

May 26th | 12-1pm CT: Swing Bed Quality Improvement and Portal Demo – This education will provide an introduction to Swing Bed data, using data and best practices to measure and improve quality and patient outcomes impacting the growth of your program. Register here.

June 23rd | 12-1pm CT: Swing Bed Strategy, Growth, and Optimization – This education will provide useful strategies for design, marketing, active patient pursuit, and the economic benefits of Swing Bed growth. Register here.

July 28th | 12-1pm CT: Swing Bed Discharge Planning – This education will provide foundational best practice discharge planning processes necessary to support a successful patient discharge thereby, reducing readmissions and unnecessary emergency department visits. Register here.

August 25th 12-1pm CT: Swing Bed Care Spectrum Development – This education will provide interdisciplinary steps to assist your Swing Bed team in formally determining what type of patients are appropriate for your swing bed program, decreasing variability in decision-making, improving efficiency, and growing your program. Register here.

Contact the Stroudwater Team:

Carla Wilber, Senior Consultant: cwilber@stroudwater.com

Lindsay Corcoran, Senior Consultant: lcorcoran@stroudwater.com

Christie Bishop, Consultant: cbishop@stroudwater.com

Megan Zook, Project Coordinator: mzook@stroudwater.com

This work is funded by the Missouri Office of Rural Health and Primary Care Medicare Flex program.

February 14, 2023

Health Equity and Childhood Oral Health: Improving Access to Care with Medicaid and CHIP

This February, the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign, an outreach and enrollment initiative that reaches out to families with children and teens eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), is recognizing National Children’s Dental Health Month.

This is an opportune time remind families that Medicaid and CHIP cover children’s dental services, such as teeth cleanings, check-ups, X-rays, fluoride treatments, dental sealants and fillings.