Rural Spotlight

Rural Health Fellows Leadership Program Applications Open, Apply by September 11

August 6, 2025

Rural Health Fellows Leadership Program Applications Open, Apply by September 11

The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is now accepting applications for the 2026 Rural Health Fellows Leadership Program.

NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows Leadership Program is a yearlong training initiative designed to develop a diverse, Interprofessional network of rural health leaders from across the country. The Rural Health Fellows program prepares emerging leaders to champion rural health policy and drive meaningful change in their communities. Fellows gain hands-on experience through leadership development, policy engagement, and collaboration with other rural health professionals.

Each year, NRHA selects 15-20 individuals who will:

  • Expand their understanding of rural health policy,
  • Build a national network of peers and mentors,
  • Strengthen leadership and advocacy skills, and
  • Complete a team-based policy project that informs NRHA’s platform.

Applicants must:

  • Be an active NRHA member for at least one year prior to applying, and maintain membership throughout the program,
  • Demonstrate a commitment to rural health,
  • Attend all three in-person sessions:
    • 37th Rural Health Policy Institute, February 10-12, 2026, Washington, D.C.
    • 49th Annual Rural Health Conference, May 19-22, 2026, San Diego, CA
    • 38th Rural Health Policy Institute, February 9-11, 2027, Washington, D.C.
  • Participate in monthly virtual sessions,
  • Contribute to a team-based project, and
  • Be able to cover travel and accommodation expenses

Program Benefits:

  • Practical experience in rural health policy and advocacy,
  • Creation of a group policy brief,
  • Long-term professional connections, and
  • Opportunity to shape NRHA’s policy priorities.

Review Timeline:

  • Application deadline: Thursday, September 11, 2025
  • Notifications sent by: October 2025
  • Accepted Fellows must confirm participation within two weeks of acceptance

Program Cost – there is no fee to participate in the program. Travel and accommodations are the responsibility of the Fellow, though limited scholarship support is available.

Click Here to Learn More

Click Here to Apply

NRHA Webinar: Building Trust and Retention: Practical Communication Strategies for Rural Health Leaders, August 13

August 6, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Building Trust and Retention: Practical Communication Strategies for Rural Health Leaders, August 13

High turnover, disengagement, and strained communication cost rural hospitals time, resources, and patient outcomes. This session goes beyond theory to deliver proven methods you can put into practice immediately.

Jennifer Henry, MBA, has spent nearly a decade helping rural healthcare executives across the Midwest improve retention and team performance. Drawing on real case studies and the Everything DiSC® framework, she will walk you through:

  • Identifying hidden communication breakdowns
    • Learn how to uncover subtle patterns that erode trust and morale – before they drive staff out the door.
  • Defusing conflict without escalation
    • Get practical scripts and techniques to address tension in a way that preserves relationships and accountability
  • Strengthening leadership presence
    • Discover ways to communicate clearly and consistently under pressure, so teams stay aligned during staffing shortages and change.
  • Building Psychological Safety
    • See how small shifts in leadership behaviors can create an environment where staff feel safe to speak up and stay engaged.

You will leave with actionable strategies to reduce turnover costs, improve culture, and build a stronger, more resilient workforce in your rural hospital or clinic.

Cost: Free

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

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: Fixing Employee Health Workflows in Rural Hospitals Without Adding Staff, August 7

August 6, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Fixing Employee Health Workflows in Rural Hospitals Without Adding Staff, August 7

In this session learn how Tanner Health redesigned their employee health processes to reduce onboarding delays, improve documentation accuracy, and streamline compliance tracking – without adding staff or costly systems. You’ll walk away with strategies you can apply immediately to improve workforce readiness and reduce risk.

Tami Turner, BSN, RN, brings over 20 years of clinical experience and now leads onboarding and exposure response across Tanner’s rural hospital system. She’s joined by Samantha Boughner, MBA, who manages employee health systems, reduce manual workload, and increase documentation efficiency in real-world settings.

Attendees will:

  • Identify the most common breakdowns in onboarding and compliance documentation,
  • Learn how to improve tracking accuracy and audit readiness without additional staff, and
  • Take home a practical framework that rural hospitals can implement immediately.

This session is built for rural executives, nursing leaders, compliance officers, and medical group managers ready to fix what’s not working and move forward with confidence.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, August 7 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

HRSA Announces Application Process for the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program and Request for Public Comment

August 5, 2025

HRSA Announces Application Process for the 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program and Request for Public Comment

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced the availability of a voluntary 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program for drugs on the CMS Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Selected Drug List for year 2026 from qualifying manufacturers meeting specific criteria.

HRSA is introducing this pilot program to test the rebate model on these drugs in a methodical and thoughtful approach to ensure a fair and transparent 340B rebate model process. HRSA is implementing this pilot to better understand the merits and shortcomings of the rebate model from the perspective of affected stakeholders, and to help shape any future 340B rebate models that align with the 340B statute and the Administration’s goals.

Click Here to Read Press Release and Learn More

CMS Seeks Comment – Proposal to Reimburse for Drug Administration Services Furnished in Excepted Off-Campus PBDs at a Physician-Equivalent-Rate, Comment by September 15

August 5, 2025

CMS Seeks Comment – Proposal to Reimburse for Drug Administration Services Furnished in Excepted Off-Campus PBDs at a Physician-Equivalent-Rate, Comment by September 15

Drug Administration includes the intravenous or intramuscular administration of a range of medicines. This proposal would not be budget neutral.

CMS estimates it would reduce OPPS spending by $280 million, with $210 million of the savings accruing to Medicare, and $70 million saved by Medicare beneficiaries in the form of reduced beneficiary coinsurance.

Comment by September 15.

Click Here to Learn More and Comment

Policy Update: CMS Proposes Updates to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payments for Calendar Year 2026, Comment by September 12

August 5, 2025

Policy Update: CMS Proposes Updates to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payments for Calendar Year 2026, Comment by September 12

This proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), issued on July 16, 2025, seeks public comment on payment updates and policy changes to Medicare’s physician fee schedule payments and includes other proposals affecting Medicare beneficiaries.

Proposals include:

  • Removing the code and add-on payment for the Social Determinants of Health Risk Assessment,
  • Permanently adopting the definition of direct supervision that allows the physician or supervising practitioner to provide supervision through real-time audio and visual interactive telecommunications (excluding audio-only),
  • Creating optional add-on codes for Advanced Primary Care Management (ACPM) services that would provide behavioral health integration or psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) services proposed modifications to the way that CMS will pay for skin substitutes,
  • A proposed negative 2.5 percent adjustment to certain non-time-based Relative Value Units (RVUs), and
  • A new mandatory alternative payment model, the Ambulatory Specialty Model.

The proposed rule also includes proposed updates applicable to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), including:

  • Extending non-behavioral health telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2026,
  • Requiring an in-person mental health service within 6 months prior to the mental-health telehealth visit and requiring an in-person mental health visit every 12-months while the patient is receiving services,
  • Requiring RHCs and FQHCs to report and bill the individual codes for BHI and CoCM rather than the current consolidated code.

Click Here to Learn More and Comment

Panel Discussion: Abundance Based Leadership in Rural Health: Strategies to Address Uncertainty in the Wake of OB3, August 22

August 5, 2025

Panel Discussion: Abundance Based Leadership in Rural Health: Strategies to Address Uncertainty in the Wake of OB3, August 22

With rising financial pressure and Medicaid uncertainties on the horizon, rural hospitals across the country are asking the same question: How do we survive what’s next – and still build toward a stronger future? What are the opportunities that we can implement now to care for our rural communities?

In this 90-minute session, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) and a panel of rural health leaders will discuss what The One Big Beautiful Bill Act means for rural providers, how to navigate potential Medicaid cuts, and how to position your organization to thrive in a time of change. Brock Slabach, COO of NRHA, will open with key insights from his July conversations in Washington, D.C., followed by perspectives from rural hospital CEOs: Mary Ellen Pratt of St. James Parish Hospital, Benjamin Anderson of Hutchinson Regional Health System and Kevin DeRonde of Mahaska Health.

Topics Include:

  • What the Rural Transformation Program could unlock and how to prepare,
  • Navigating Medicaid uncertainty without losing momentum,
  • Leveraging rural identity for recruitment, philanthropy, and strategic growth,
  • Aligning culture, physicians, and operations during volatile times, and
  • Turning an abundance mindset into a long-term competitive advantage and financial growth.

Takeaways Include:

  • Aligning medical staff who are creative, engaged, and caring,
  • Implementing specific recruitment and retention strategies,
  • Growing and adding new rural services versus reducing services,
  • Unlocking the massive benefits of performing a Strategic, Financial & Operational Assessment (SFOA),
  • Implementing a culture that produces positive margins,
  • Caring for the caregiver, and
  • Identifying the difference between signal versus noise.

Cost: Free

When: Friday, August 22, 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

NOTE: Participants are encouraged to watch the June session in advance and submit questions ahead of time to help shape the conversation.

Click Here to Watch June Session

Click Here to Register for August session

Whitepaper: The Hidden Cost of Confusion: Using AI to Make Healthcare Bills Make Sense

August 5, 2025

Whitepaper: The Hidden Cost of Confusion: Using AI to Make Healthcare Bills Make Sense

As the cost of care increases, paying for it becomes more complicated – with many patients finding medical bills more confusing and stressful than the treatment itself.

This whitepaper, presented at Becker’s Hospital Review 15th Annual Meeting, dives into how health systems are leveraging AI to ease the burden of paying for care. From guiding patients through their bills to surfacing relevant benefits and resources, I tools are creating personalized affordability pathways.

Revenue cycle experts reveal how leading health systems are using this model to reduce costs, drive collections and reduce staff burnout.

You’ll Learn:

  • How one AI voice agent connects patients to personalized payment options before bad debt accrues,
  • What’s working to drive up digital payments and reduce support requests, and
  • The financial lift: 20% increase in collections + higher patient satisfaction.

Cost: Free

Click Here to Download Paper

Whitepaper: 3 Ways to Improve Cybersecurity Amid Healthcare’s Cyber Crisis

August 5, 2025

Whitepaper: 3 Ways to Improve Cybersecurity Amid Healthcare’s Cyber Crisis

Recently, a wave of cyberattacks forced healthcare executives to reckon with an uncomfortable truth: traditional cybersecurity strategies are no longer enough.

This report from Advisory Board shares how more than 10 experts – from provider organizations and digital health firms to consulting leaders – are redefining what cyber resilience means in an era of third-party interdependence.

It outlines a strategic shift from reactive defense to collaborative, systemwide resilience – and the practical steps leaders are taking to manage operational risk, strengthen contracts and reduce exposure across complex networks.

Download the report to learn:

  • Ways that health systems are reassessing third-party vendor contracts and performance metrics,
  • Tactics to improve communication with partners and regulators to contain risk, and
  • Examples of resilience-driven models that ensure continuity during cyber incidents.

Cost:  Free

Click Here to Download Paper

Upcoming Webinar: Activating Clinical Workflow Intelligence: Guthrie’s Model for System Wide Efficiency, September 24

August 5, 2025

Upcoming Webinar: Activating Clinical Workflow Intelligence: Guthrie’s Model for System Wide Efficiency, September 24

Health systems are under pressure to improve care coordination, but most solutions come with added cost or complexity. Guthrie proved it’s possible to do more with what you already have.

With clinical workflow technology, the health system has accelerated consults, streamlined handoffs and built a foundation for enterprise-wide automation – starting with cardiology and expanding across service lines.

Join this session to learn how clinical and support leaders at Guthrie made it happen.

You’ll Learn:

  • How Guthrie used consult automation to reduce friction and improve speed of care,
  • The strategy behind expanding automation across specialties and settings, and
  • Lessons in change management, alignment and accountability across departments

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, September 24, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register