Rural Spotlight

CDC Webinar: NHSN AU Option 2023 SAAR Rebaseline: Information for Critical Access Hospitals, May 13

April 28, 2026

CDC Webinar: NHSN AU Option 2023 SAAR Rebaseline: Information for Critical Access Hospitals, May 13

The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Antimicrobial Use (AU) Option has released updates to its risk-adjustment methodology with the 2023 SAAR (Standardized Antimicrobial Administration Ratio) rebaseline.

A major development is the introduction of mixed acuity unit with SAAR values which will enable more critical access hospitals (CAHs) to receive SAAR calculations. This represents a substantial change from previous reporting periods when many CAHs were unable to generate SAARs due to not having SAAR-eligible units within NHSN.

The speakers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specifically designed this webinar for CAHs and will provide a comprehensive overview of these important updates.

Cost: Free

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

Click Here to Register

Prevalence of Selected Chronic Conditions Among Adults Age 45 and Older, by Age and Urbanization Level: United States, 2024

April 28, 2026

Prevalence of Selected Chronic Conditions Among Adults Age 45 and Older, by Age and Urbanization Level: United States, 2024

Heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular diseases (stroke), and chronic lower respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are consistently among the 10 leading causes of death for U.S. adults. Studies have suggested that variations exist in the prevalence of these conditions by age and urbanization level, prompting further exploration into these differences. This report uses 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to describe the prevalence of heart disease, cancer, COPD, and stroke among adults age 45 and older by age and urbanization level

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide data on the prevalence of heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and stroke among adults age 45 and older by level of rurality, using data from the CDC’s 2024 National Health Interview Survey.

Click Here to Read More

HRSA Webinar: Sustaining Rural Labor & Delivery Programs, May 4

April 28, 2026

HRSA Webinar: Sustaining Rural Labor & Delivery Programs, May 4

Rural Hospitals face ongoing financial and operational pressures that have contributed to the closure of many Labor & Delivery programs nationwide. This webinar, hosted by researchers at the Flex Monitoring Team (FMT) for rural Medicare hospitals and presented by Stroudwater, will highlight practical strategies to help rural hospitals assess and strengthen the financial sustainability of these services.

The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) funded the development of the Sustaining Rural Labor & Delivery Programs brief; this webinar will highlight key insights from the brief and cover:

  • Approaches to improving how costs are tracked and reported,
  • Understanding the financial performance of Labor & Delivery services, and
  • Identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and partnerships.

Attendees will gain actionable insights to support informed decision-making and help maintain access to essential maternity care in rural communities.

Cost: Free

When: Monday, May 4, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: The Hidden Cost of the Status Quo: Why Healthcare Safety is the Defining Strategic Imperative for 2026

April 28, 2026

Whitepaper: The Hidden Cost of the Status Quo: Why Healthcare Safety is the Defining Strategic Imperative for 2026

When clinicians worry about their safety, the impact reaches far beyond a single incident. Confidence drops, reporting suffers, turnover rises and operational strain spreads across the organization.

This healthcare safety report shows why best-in-class hospitals are treating safety as a strategic priority. It connects worker safety to workforce retention, trust and operational performance, giving leaders a clearer view of what is driving risk and what can improve outcomes.

The findings are drawn from an online survey of 1,014 healthcare employees across clinical, operational and executive roles. The results are hard to ignore – Nearly 85% of survey respondents have personally experienced a safety incident during their careers. More than 20% (1 in 5) have been involved in incidents that escalated to physical violence, and 76% of healthcare workers consider personal safety a daily concern.

One system that adopted connected safety technology saw violent incidents decline by 30% within six months, while incident reporting increased by 50%.

For leaders focused on sustaining care delivery, this report offers a practical look at how proactive safety programs can support both staff protection and organizational performance.

Download the report to learn:

  • How safety affects retention, trust and operational resilience,
  • What front-line trends reveal about workplace violence today,
  • Where proactive safety programs are driving measurable change, and
  • Why reporting culture matters for long-term improvement.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper

Webinar: Patient GPT: Clinical AI Powering the Rise of Consumerization in Health Systems, May 5

April 28, 2026

Webinar: Patient GPT: Clinical AI Powering the Rise of Consumerization in Health Systems, May 5

Millions of Americans are already turning to AI tools to understand symptoms and make real-time health decisions, signaling a clear demand for more immediate and accessible care.

To meet that demand, healthcare must shift from a system centered around the provider to one built around patients, with more personalized, connected, and 24/7 access to support.

In this session, K Health’s Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Ran Shaul and Hartford HealthCare Medical Group President Padmanabhan Premkumar will discuss how PatientGPT is helping define that next phase as a clinically integrated AI system designed to give patients more personalized, always-on guidance, connect them to care, and operate as an extension of the care team. Attendees will see PatientGPT in action, gain a clearer understanding of what modern clinical AI deployment looks like inside a health system, and learn why foundational accuracy, safety, and clinical rigor are essential to building trust and adoption at scale.

This discussion will explore:

  • How clinically integrated AI can turn digital entry points into more seamless, patient-friendly paths to care,
  • Where clinically trained AI can create value across triage, navigation, and access, and
  • Insights from early patient users and how PatientGPT’s clinical rigor is directly impacting patient outcomes.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, May 5, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Driving Faster Starts and Clearer Costs in Healthcare Capital Projects, May 5

April 28, 2026

Webinar: Driving Faster Starts and Clearer Costs in Healthcare Capital Projects, May 5

As capital projects move from strategy to reality, delays, unclear costs and compliance complexity can slow progress and strain already limited resources.

In this session, we’ll discuss managing growing capital demands with tighter budgets and oversight requirements. It offers a practical look at why projects lose momentum post-planning and how to maintain speed without sacrificing control.

Attendees will learn how to:

  • Accelerate project starts while maintaining governance and oversight,
  • Improve cost visibility earlier to reduce downstream surprises, and
  • Build repeatable delivery models across capital portfolios.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, May 5, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Why Language Access Remains an Unsolved Systems Problem, May 13

April 27, 2026

Webinar: Why Language Access Remains an Unsolved Systems Problem, May 13

Every health system provides language access, but few can clearly explain how it works across the organization.

When leaders attempt to map their approach, gaps quickly emerge. Workarounds develop in silos, knowledge fails to transfer and system weaknesses are often amplified for patients who use languages other than English.

This session explores why language access remains difficult to standardize and scale, and what it takes to move beyond fragmented efforts. Drawing on experience building a systemwide language access plan and measurement framework at Cincinnati Children’s, speakers outline how communication should function as core infrastructure across care delivery.

Attendees will learn:

  • Why language access operations are difficult to define, standardize and improve,
  • How communication breakdowns expose broader operational weaknesses,
  • What a systems-based approach to language access looks like in practice, and
  • Leadership actions to build, measure and sustain language access infrastructure.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, May 13, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: From Noise to Clarity: A Smarter Approach to Patient Communication and Payments

April 27, 2026

Whitepaper: From Noise to Clarity: A Smarter Approach to Patient Communication and Payments

Imagine a patient who receives one clear message at each critical step of care – scheduling, check-in, results, billing and payment – with no confusion about what comes next.

Now contrast that with today’s reality: fragmented reminders, unclear bills and multiple senders competing for attention. In one recent survey, 70% of patients said they tune out frequent healthcare messages.

This report outlines a different approach: orchestrated, journey-based communication that connects clinical, operational and financial touchpoints into a single, coordinated conversation. It also explores how digitized payment solutions can process adjudicated payments quickly and disburse funds to physicians significantly faster than legacy systems.

Learnings include:

  • How to align outreach with each stage of the patient journey,
  • Why billing transparency is essential in a high cost-sharing environment,
  • Strategies to optimize payment preferences and installment plans, and
  • How small, targeted improvements can show value quickly.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper

Webinar: How Three Health Systems are Overcoming Today’s Workforce Challenges, May 19

April 27, 2026

Webinar: How Three Health Systems are Overcoming Today’s Workforce Challenges, May 19

Healthcare organizations are navigating workforce strain while balancing financial constraints and evolving care demands.

During this conversation, leaders from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Fairview Health and Penn State Health share how finance, HR and clinical teams are working together to address workforce challenges and stabilize operations.

You will hear how cross-functional collaboration is shaping workforce strategies across organizations and how alignment across leadership functions can support more sustainable workforce planning and operational stability.

Attendees will learn:

  • How finance, HR and clinical leaders are partnering to address workforce challenges,
  • Key financial, operational and clinical considerations shaping workforce strategy, and
  • Practical approaches to cross-functional collaboration.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, May 19, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Free Technical Assistance Opportunity: Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program

April 27, 2026

Free Technical Assistance Opportunity: Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program

This program, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, delivers technical assistance at no cost to participating rural healthcare organizations in the rural counties and parishes of the Delta region to help meet community needs and strengthen health care delivery.

Areas of support include financial and operational efficiency, quality improvement, service expansion, care coordination, and implementation of best practices. Participants receive individualized assessments, staff and leadership training, and support and funding to enhance or expand services.

Join the National Rural Health Resource Center on July 27 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. CST for an Application and Eligibility Webinar to learn more about this program.

Click Here to Register