Rural Spotlight

First Healthcare Advisory Committee (HAC) Meeting, Open to Public, May 18

May 14, 2026

First Healthcare Advisory Committee (HAC) Meeting, Open to Public, May 18

The Healthcare Advisory Committee (HAC) advises the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on programs and policies to improve the U.S. healthcare system.

This first meeting will include an introduction of Committee members, discussion of the Committee’s vision, and establishment of bylaws. A detailed final agenda is posted on the Committee’s website and will include Zoom webinar access information.

The meeting will be held virtually, and no registration is required for those who wish to watch or provide public comment.

Click Here to Visit the Committee’s website

Click Here to View the Agenda

Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Application Toolkit Available, Apply by June 23

May 14, 2026

Medicare Shared Savings Program ACO Application Toolkit Available, Apply by June 23

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a toolkit with resources for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to apply for the upcoming cycle of the Medicare Shared Savings Program.

Applications will be accepted through the ACO Management System from June 9 through noon ET on June 23.

For more information, visit the Application Types & Timeline webpage.

Email questions to SharedSavingsProgram@cms.hhs.gov

CMS Expands Electronic Prior Authorization Initiative

May 14, 2026

CMS Expands Electronic Prior Authorization Initiative

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the expansion of electronic prior authorization as part of its Health Tech Ecosystem initiative. Building on efforts that began in January 2026, CMS is strengthening collaboration among health plans, providers, and certified electronic health record (EHR) vendors, and digital health developers – alongside payers – to enable end-to-end, consistent electronic prior authorization workflows across the healthcare system.

Participants will also align with CMS interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule requirements, focusing on closing workflow gaps and improving technical coordination across stakeholders. Full implementation of electronic prior authorization infrastructure is expected by January 1, 2027.

Click Here to Read CMS Electronic Prior Authorization

Click Here to Read More About Health Tech Ecosystem

Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program – Deadline for Next Cohort is September 30

May 14, 2026

Targeted Technical Assistance for Rural Hospitals Program – Deadline for Next Cohort is September 30

Participants in this program – including Critical Access Hospitals and inpatient Prospective payment System hospitals – receive virtual and on-site technical assistance to address financial and operational challenges while maintaining essential health services for their communities.

Funded by FORHP and carried out by experts at the Georgia Southern University Center for Rural Public Health Practice and Research, the program accepts applications on an ongoing basis, with a cut-off of September 30 for the next cohort.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Mental Health Awareness Month: National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

May 14, 2026

Mental Health Awareness Month: National Maternal Mental Health Hotline

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, HRSA is highlighting the importance of mental health among pregnant and postpartum women.

Research has shown that rural mothers experience higher rates of post-partum depression compared to urban mothers.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline can be reached at 1-833-TLC-MAMA and offers free, confidential support 24/7 by call, text, and chat.

Trained counselors provide emotional support, information, and referrals to local resources for pregnant and postpartum women, and their loved ones.

Since launching on Mother’s Day in 2022, the Hotline has supported more than 100,000 people, helping to connect them to care when they need it most.

Share this resource with your patients, clients, partners, and communities. You can also print and order free promotional materials including posters, magnets, and wallet cards to display and distribute.

See the HRSA Maternal & Child Health Website for more information and to access materials.

Click Here to go the HRSA’s Maternal & Child Health Website

FORHP Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement

May 14, 2026

FORHP Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement

Several Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) that were previously forecasted on Grants.gov were temporarily removed and the forecasts were re-posted late last week. As a result, individuals who subscribed to the original forecast will not receive updates or notifications for these opportunities.

All interested applicants are encouraged to visit Grants.gov and re-subscribe to these NOFOs to ensure they receive notifications when the funding opportunities are posted, as well as any subsequent updates.

The following opportunities may be of particular interest:

Webinar: The Coordination Squeeze: What is Slowing Care Access and How Leaders are Fixing It, June 11

May 14, 2026

Webinar: The Coordination Squeeze: What is Slowing Care Access and How Leaders are Fixing It, June 11

Care coordination teams are being asked to do more with less. Staffing constraints, rising costs and administrative complexity are turning what should be a straightforward patient experience – getting to care – into one of the most friction-heavy parts of operations.

The downstream effects are hard to ignore. Missed appointments delay treatment, erode revenue and chip away at patient trust. Call center teams are stretched. Transportation logistics fall to people who were never meant to manage them. And traditional coordination models, built in a different era, are showing their limits.

In this session, presenters will share how healthcare and behavioral health organizations are redesigning coordination and transportation workflows to ease the burden on staff, improve oversight and better serve diverse patient populations.

Learnings include:

  • Where traditional coordination models fall short and what more modern approaches look like,
  • How to maintain visibility, compliance and cost control as models evolve,
  • Practical ways transportation strategy can reduce missed appointments and improve engagement, and
  • Implementation tradeoffs, early wins and honest lessons from leaders in the work.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, June 11, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

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

May 14, 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

Whitepaper: Acute Care Has a Technology Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

May 14, 2026

Whitepaper: Acute Care Has a Technology Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

Hospitals have never had more bedside devices, data streams and algorithms. Yet the gap between technological promise and measurable outcomes remains stubbornly wide. Research shows 21% of nursing care goes undelivered in variable acuity units, and only 5 to 13% of patient alarms actually require clinical action.

The problem is not a lack of technology. It is the absence of an integrated feedback loop that continuously connects data, insight, workflow and measurement.

This report introduces the Acute Care Informatics Outcomes Flywheel – a seven-step operating model designed specifically for variable-acuity inpatient environments where clinician time is scarce, risk is real and the opportunity for improvement is significant. Unlike one-time technology deployments, the Outcomes Flywheel compounds in value with every patient encounter, creating a self-reinforcing engine for better clinical and operational performance.

The report walks through three case studies showing the flywheel in practice, from reducing non-actionable telemetry alarms to improving ICU triage accuracy.

Learnings include:

  • Why threshold-based alarms and siloed data fail to prevent patient deterioration,
  • How a seven-step outcomes flywheel turns device data into a continuous learning loop,
  • Five reinforcing value levers that compound clinical and financial impact over time, and
  • A practical, stage-based approach leaders can use to build and scale this capability.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper

Whitepaper: Healthcare Offshoring – A Practical Guide for Healthcare Finance Leaders

May 14, 2026

Whitepaper: Healthcare Offshoring – A Practical Guide for Healthcare Finance Leaders

Revenue cycle teams are stretched thin.

Denials are increasing, hiring is more difficult and administrative workloads continue to grow. Many organizations are dedicating substantial time to denial management and rework, limiting their ability to focus on strategic initiatives.

This guide presents a structured approach to building offshore teams that extend capacity without overloading domestic staff.

Rather than handing off work to a vendor, the co-managed model allows organizations to retain control over hiring, training and day-to-day operations – while leveraging offshore infrastructure and talent.

Learnings include:

  • How offshore teams can support both front-end and back-end revenue cycle functions,
  • Why the co-managed model enables greater control and transparency than traditional outsourcing,
  • Key compliance considerations, including HIPAA and data privacy requirements, and
  • A step-by-step framework for implementing and scaling offshore teams.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper