Rural Spotlight

Webinar: RCM Tech Trends You Can’t Ignore: Fresh Insights from US San Diego Health, February 11

February 4, 2026

Webinar: RCM Tech Trends You Can’t Ignore: Fresh Insights from US San Diego Health, February 11

Revenue cycle management priorities are shifting – and technology investments are leading the charge. In this session, join UC San Diego Health’s Chief Revenue Officer, Mike Vigo, as we explore today’s top organizational goals set forth by hospital and health system leaders, explore how those priorities vary across EHR platforms and share predictions for what’s next.

Backed by fresh data and market insights from more than 100+ healthcare finance leaders, we’ll examine where organizations are focusing their investments and how AI, automation and analytics are driving measurable results.

Walk away with a clear view of current trends, future outlooks and strategies to align technology with long-term financial performance.

Key takeaways:

  • Where health systems are investing in RCM tech and what’s driving ROI,
  • How EHR platform influences RCM strategy and spend, and
  • Real-world impact of AI and automation on revenue cycle performance.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, February 11, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: The $25B Medicaid Threat: How Hospitals are Fighting Back

February 4, 2026

Whitepaper: The $25B Medicaid Threat: How Hospitals are Fighting Back

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is poised to slash Medicaid revenue by $25 billion annually, a 70% drop in operating margin for the average hospital.

With redeterminations moving to every 6 months, patients are losing coverage. Payers are escalating denials and providers are stretched thin, forced to write off more revenue than ever.

In this report, discover how providers are proactively addressing these threats using AI, patient advocates and denial prevention teams to protect revenue while improving the patient experience.

What you’ll learn:

  • How to reduce revenue leakage with payer-specific denial prevention strategies,
  • How automation and trained patient advocates reduce Medicaid disenrollment, and
  • Why a “human in the loop” is key to unlocking ROI.

Click Here to Download the Whitepaper

Webinar: Why Health Systems Struggle to Prove ROI on Digital Health Investments, February 17

February 4, 2026

Webinar: Why Health Systems Struggle to Prove ROI on Digital Health Investments, February 17

Health systems are spending more on technology than ever, but many digital and C-suite leaders still face tough questions about substantiating value and investment strategies.

When ROI is siloed or unclear, innovation can stall, governance can break down and technology is perceived as a cost center rather than a strategic asset. Traditional financial models often miss clinical and operational value, leaving leaders without a comprehensive, longitudinal impact perspective.

This panel brings together executives from Stanford Health Care, Mass General Brigham, and Southern Illinois Healthcare to unpack how leading systems are addressing these challenges head-on. Speakers will share how they’re closing visibility gaps, centralizing decision making, and creating repeatable methods to measure value across the organization.

The discussion will explore how to transition into maximum-impact mode with coordinated technology strategies that support enterprise priorities and win executive buy-in.

Key insights include:

  • Common reasons ROI remains difficult to prove in health systems,
  • How centralized governance supports better decision-making,
  • Strategies to make technology value visible and sustainable, and
  • Lessons from systems successfully substantiating enterprise-level technology impact.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, February 17, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Why AI is Failing in Revenue Cycle, and How to Fix it

February 4, 2026

Why AI is Failing in Revenue Cycle, and How to Fix it

Today’s revenue cycle AI is built on statistical patterns, not clinical understanding. For CIOs and CFOs, this creates a hidden factory of rework, risk and revenue leakage. Here’s why a clinical-first approach is the only path forward.

The healthcare industry is investing billions in artificial intelligence to fix a struggling revenue cycle. Yet, for many health systems, denial rates are climbing, and administrative costs continue to swell. Why is this happening? We are applying a math solution to a medicine problem.

Most AI tools are black boxes trained on claims data alone. They can spot statistical correlations with impressive speed but cannot grasp the clinical story behind a patient’s journey. This gap between statistical probability and clinical reality is where revenue integrity breaks down, leaving your organization exposed.

Effective and trustworthy RCM automation is impossible without a deep, embedded clinical foundation. To move beyond simple pattern-matching and deliver real financial value, AI must be trained by clinical experts and grounded in medical logic.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Whitepaper: The State of Nursing Communication in 2026

February 4, 2026

Whitepaper: The State of Nursing Communication in 2026

Hospitals are sending more messages than ever, yet critical information still isn’t reaching nurses when it matters most.

Seventy percent of nurses report receiving workplace updates several times per week, but many still miss essential safety protocols, compliance updates and policy changes. The issue isn’t volume. Traditional communication channels are not designed for shift-based, non-desk roles, creating gaps that affect retention, patient safety and regulatory risk.

The State of Nursing Communication Report draws on survey findings from 1,000 U.S. hospital nurses across full-time, part-time and travel roles to quantify how communication breakdowns show up in daily operations. The data reveals how delayed, irrelevant or missed messages contribute to stress, disengagement and downstream patient care issues.

This report outlines where communication is breaking down and what hospital leaders can do to fix it, using real data from the nursing workforce.

Key takeaways include:

  • Where and why nurses miss safety, policy and compliance updates,
  • How email and paper-based communication fail shift-based staff,
  • The connection between miscommunication, burnout and turnover risk, and
  • Four strategic changes leaders can implement to improve reach and relevance.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Webinar: Protecting Revenue in 2026: Strategies to Safeguard Cash Flow Across the Revenue, February 26

February 4, 2026

Webinar: Protecting Revenue in 2026: Strategies to Safeguard Cash Flow Across the Revenue, February 26

As Medicaid eligibility fluctuates, Medicare reimbursement tightens and coverage rules evolve, health systems are seeing more denials, underpayments and avoidable write-offs rooted in front-end gaps.

Health systems that fail to adapt risk compounding denials, underpayments and avoidable write-offs in 2026.

This webinar brings together revenue cycle leaders from Scripps Health, Temple Health, UC Davis Health and Vandalia Health for a discussion on how organizations are reinforcing both front-end and back-end revenue cycle processes to protect revenue heading into 2026.

Key takeaways include:

  • Reducing eligibility-related denials amid Medicaid churn,
  • Preventing self-pay misclassification through better insurance discovery,
  • Identifying Medicare underpayments and improving payment accuracy, and
  • Building a stronger revenue integrity foundation for 2026 planning.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, February 26, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: How SSM Health is Building Workforce Resilience Through Education, February 23

February 4, 2026

Webinar: How SSM Health is Building Workforce Resilience Through Education, February 23

As clinical and operational complexity grows, health system leaders are rethinking how education can strengthen their workforce for current and future demands.

At SSM Health, education has become a systemwide lever for workforce stability, not a standalone perk.

In this webinar, leaders from SSM Health will outline how they are using education as a long-term workforce strategy. Through upfront tuition support, hybrid clinical training models and structured leadership development, the system is strengthening retention, expanding career mobility and preparing future-ready leaders.

This candid discussion moves beyond theory to explore what it takes to operationalize education at scale and align it with workforce, clinical and organizational goals.

What you will learn:

  • How education programs can address workforce instability at the system level,
  • Practical approaches to improving retention through career mobility,
  • How clinical education models are evolving to meet workforce demand, and
  • Executive considerations for sustaining workforce investments over time.

Cost: Free

When: Monday, February 23, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: From Retrospective to Real Time: Transforming CMS Star Rating and Leapfrog Objectives into Bedside Action, February 17

February 4, 2026

Webinar: From Retrospective to Real Time: Transforming CMS Star Rating and Leapfrog Objectives into Bedside Action, February 17

Hospitals are under constant pressure to perform in quality programs like CMS Star Ratings, Leapfrog, VBP and HRRP, yet most manage these initiatives retrospectively, through lagging metrics and after-action reviews.

The delay creates blind spots: frontline teams don’t know about the 10% of patients who drive the majority of CMS Star Ratings and other quality programs, or how to intervene in time to change outcomes.

This webinar shares how leading hospitals are connecting enterprise quality targets with real-time patient identification, risk stratification and care team activation, while patients are still in the bed.

Key Takeaways:

  • Translate enterprise priorities into patient-level flags staff can act on daily,
  • Identify cohorts driving readmissions, mortality, and cost before discharge, and
  • Link stratified risk to workflows across rounding, discharge and care coordination.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, February 17, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training, Applications Due February 26

February 4, 2026

Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training, Applications Due February 26

The training provides a comprehensive approach to learning evidence-based treatment for individuals to master the core competencies defined by the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD) and obtain necessary training required to apply for the National Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice (NCTTP).

The training is fully accredited by The Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP). It provides a comprehensive approach for individuals to learn the core competencies necessary to apply for the National Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice (NCTTP).

A deposit of $100 and prerequisites are required. Deposits are fully refunded after the completion of the entire program.

First priority will be given to rural health care workers, and second priority to those more than one hour away from Columbia, MO.

Visit TobaccoFree.Missouri.edu to find additional information.

MasterClass: Motivational Interviewing (MI) for Nicotine Use, February 25

February 3, 2026

MasterClass: Motivational Interviewing (MI) for Nicotine Use, February 25

Tune in on February 25, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. for the Motivational Interviewing for Nicotine Use Master Class Webinar!

This FREE training is available to primary care and behavioral health providers, as well as LPHAs. Attendees will explore ways to enhance behavior change using the motivational interviewing approach and strategies and will practice engagement and evocation strategies in clinical conversations.

Pre-registration is required.

Objectives:

  • Explore ways to enhance behavior change using Motivational Interviewing (MI) approach,
  • Learn about the MI heart set, tasks, skills, and strategies, and
  • Practice engagement and evocation strategies in clinical conversations.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, February 25, 9:30 a.m.

Click Here to Register