Rural Spotlight

Whitepaper: When Caregivers are in Crisis: Rethinking Workforce Mental Health

December 2, 2025

Whitepaper: When Caregivers are in Crisis: Rethinking Workforce Mental Health

Healthcare workers operate under intense pressure: long shifts, critical decision-making, emotional labor, and exposure to trauma. These demands take a toll on mental health, and traditional support often falls short of what today’s clinicians and staff truly need.

This guide offers a clear framework for rethinking caregiver mental health, along with steps leaders can take to build healthier, more sustainable care environments.

Inside the guide, you’ll learn:

  • Why the emotional and operational burdens of clinical roles require a different approach to workforce mental health,
  • What integrated behavioral health looks like in practice and how it simplifies support for complex needs, and
  • Steps leaders can take to build psychologically safe, culturally responsive care environments.

Created specifically for healthcare leadership teams, this resource provides a path from reactive support to more proactive and sustainable workforce well-being.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Webinar: Preserving Margin: Leveraging Data to Align Clinical & Financial Goals, December 4

December 2, 2025

Webinar: Preserving Margin: Leveraging Data to Align Clinical & Financial Goals, December 4

Hospitals and health systems are pressed to find timely, innovative ways to generate value and navigate economic headwinds.

In this webinar, the discussion will be focused around how leading health systems are using data-driven strategies to bridge the gap between contractual and clinical alignment.

Attend to learn the successful keys to aligning physicians around cost and quality, integrating clinical and financial analytics to effectively managing utilization, and help organizations preserve margin by improving patient outcomes.

Key Learning Objectives:

  • Understand how health systems can respond to the root causes of financial pressure in today’s healthcare environment,
  • Explore best practices for engaging and aligning physicians in utilization management to reduce variation and improve safety and efficiency, and]
  • Discover how data and technology are being used to support both clinical and financial goals.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, December 4, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Capacity in Crisis: Navigating the One Big Beautiful Bill Era with Data-Driven Agility, December 3

December 2, 2025

Webinar: Capacity in Crisis: Navigating the One Big Beautiful Bill Era with Data-Driven Agility, December 3

In the One Big Beautiful Bill era, capacity is no longer an operational detail – it’s a financial imperative.

Hospitals that can’t quickly adjust capacity, shorten stays or match resources to fluctuating demand face real financial threats, including margin erosion and potential consolidation. At the same time, insurance coverage loss is driving more patients to emergency departments and safety-net providers, escalating wait times and boarding challenges.

In this session, leaders from University Hospitals, Sutter Health and Scripps Health share how their systems are leveraging real-time data and operational visibility to make faster decisions, reduce lengths of stay and respond more effectively to daily demand shifts.

Key takeaways:

  • Understand the risks of falling behind – from financial strain to competitive pressure and rising demand.
  • Use data to drive smarter decisions on throughput, scheduling, and staffing.
  • Apply tech and operational discipline to keep care accessible, efficient, and resilient.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, December 3, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: EHR Migration Without Disruption: What Ambulatory Leaders Need to Know, December 16

December 2, 2025

Webinar: EHR Migration Without Disruption: What Ambulatory Leaders Need to Know, December 16

EHR transitions are never simple. For physician groups and ASCs, fewer resources and tighter margins raise the stakes even higher.

In this webinar, MediQuant will share real-world insights, lessons learned, and anecdotes drawn from years of experience helping healthcare organizations navigate the complexities of EHR transitions. In addition, hear first-hand how one organization successfully retired its legacy EHR and what it took to make the switch seamless. Attendees will walk away with practical insights to make EHR transitions smoother, safer and more compliant.

Gain direct strategies from experts and end users on how to exit legacy systems without compromising care or compliance.

Learnings Include:

  • How to identify and mitigate risks in contract terminations and data transitions,
  • How to navigate data access and ownership without legal o compliance pitfalls, and
  • How to archive and convert legacy data to ensure long-term regulatory readiness.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, December 16, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: The ABCs of Rural Wound Care Success: Keeping Patients Local, Improving Outcomes, and Strengthening Margins, December 11

December 2, 2025

NRHA Webinar: The ABCs of Rural Wound Care Success: Keeping Patients Local, Improving Outcomes, and Strengthening Margins, December 11

Chronic wounds quietly drain hospital resources, especially in rural communities where distance and staffing make consistent care a challenge. But when one Critical Access Hospital reframed wound care not only as a clinical priority but also as a financial and marketing strategy, the results spoke for themselves: a 92.2% healing rate and a median of 28 days to heal.

In this presentation, Will Evans, RN, an operations leader supporting more than 35 hospital wound programs across the Midwest, and Diane Weiss, RCMS, CPC, CPB, CH

RI, a national expert in revenue integrity and documentation, share what worked, what didn’t, and how those lessons can strengthen care delivery and margins in your own hospital.

Through the ABCs of Rural Wound Care – Advanced Care, Billing and Community Buy-In – attendees will:

  • Identify the key elements that bring wound care services to the next level in a rural setting.
  • Understand how wound-specific billing and documentation improve both reimbursement and compliance.
  • Explore practical ways to build community awareness and staff engagement to support long-term growth.

Cost: free

When: Thursday, December 11, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: Thriving in the AI Era: Rural Healthcare Leaders Share Real-World Results, December 10

December 2, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Thriving in the AI Era: Rural Healthcare Leaders Share Real-World Results, December 10

Artificial intelligence is changing how rural hospitals approach efficiency, workforce strain, and documentation.

In this interactive discussion, Dr. Yair Saperstein, MD, MPH, a physician leader with extensive experience serving in rural and underserved settings, moderates a conversation with executives from Cascade Medical (WA) and Ohio County Healthcare (KY) on how they are applying AI to reduce charting time, improve discharge planning, and strengthen reimbursement accuracy without adding staff or IT burden.

Panelists Pat Songer, COO and Chief of EMS at Cascade Medical (WA) and Dr. Athena Minor, DNP, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing and Clinical Officer at Ohio County Healthcare (KY), bring extensive experience advancing operations, workforce strategy, and quality outcomes in rural hospitals. They’ll share how their teams evaluated, implemented, and measured AI solutions to improve efficiency, documentation, and care delivery – while maintaining the personal, resource-minded approach that defines rural healthcare.

Attendees will walk away with real examples and practical steps for integrating AI workflows that reduce burnout and free clinicians to focus more on patient care.

This is an interactive session. Come ready to share your perspective and br4ing your questions for the panel.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session participants will:

  • Discover peer-tested strategies for using AI to simplify documentation and discharge planning.
  • Learn how rural hospitals are evaluating and implementing AI tools that fit their size, staffing, and capacity.
  • Review measurable results demonstrating impact on reimbursement, efficiency, and staff well-being
  • Identify next steps for responsibly integrating AI into existing workflows to support sustainable operations.

Cost:  Free

When: Wednesday, December 10, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: Strategies for Rural Providers in a Post-OBBBA Landscape, December 9

December 2, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Strategies for Rural Providers in a Post-OBBBA Landscape, December 9

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will change how care is funded, reported, and sustained – and rural leaders need clarity, not commentary. This session breaks down what the legislation means for your bottom line, operations, and long-term stability, offering clear steps to stay ahead of what’s coming.

Presenters will translate complex policy shifts into practical strategies: how to model financial impact, use transparency data to strengthen payer negotiations, and build operational readiness that lasts beyond the first wave of reform.

Learning Objectives

  • Pinpoint which OBBBA provisions will most affect rural systems.
  • Use data modeling to forecast reimbursement and service-line impact.
  • Strengthen financial and operational resilience through diversification and analytics.
  • Build a proactive roadmap to navigate compliance and sustain community access.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, December 9, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: The State of Rural Provider Compensation in 2025: Rural Physician & Advanced Practice Provider Compensation Survey Results, December 3

December 2, 2025

Webinar: The State of Rural Provider Compensation in 2025: Rural Physician & Advanced Practice Provider Compensation Survey Results, December 3

Rural healthcare organizations are facing increasing pressure to balance fair provider compensation with financial sustainability and compliance. The 2025 Rural Physician and Advanced p0ractice Provider Compensation Survey, developed by Stroudwater Associates in partnership with the NRHA and the NOSORH, reveals significant variations in provider pay and exposes widespread challenges in linking compensation to productivity, quality, and market realities.

Join Stroudwater’s physician team as they share key findings from the 2025 survey and explore strategies rural leaders can use to align provider compensation, including trends in pay structure, productivity, and incentive alignment for physicians and advanced practice providers.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand the latest compensation trends across rural hospitals and clinics, including how shifts in salary and incentive models are impacting recruitment, retention, and sustainability.
  • Identify compliance risks and FMV challenges revealed by the 2025 data, including uncertainty about CMS Physician Fee Schedule usage.
  • Learn how to balance financial performance with fair compensation to ensure provider pay supports your organization’s mission and market position.
  • See where your organization stands compared to national benchmarks for family medicine, anesthesia, and advanced practice providers.
  • Discover actionable strategies to evolve provider compensation models toward sustainable, incentive-based frameworks that reward performance and quality.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, December 3, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

RHIhub This Week

December 2, 2025

RHIhub This Week

RHIhub This Week keeps you informed of the latest rural news, funding opportunities, publications and events.

Click Here to View RHIhub

Webinar: AI, OBBBA, and the Future of Care: How Health Systems are Preparing for 2026, December 2

December 1, 2025

Webinar: AI, OBBBA, and the Future of Care: How Health Systems are Preparing for 2026, December 2

As 2026 approaches, health systems are bracing for the ripple effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), rising labor costs, and the accelerating pace of AI adoption. Leaders are being asked to improve efficiency, retain staff, and integrate AI into clinical workflows without adding complexity or cost.

Hear from clinical leaders at UPMC, Kaiser Permanente, and St. Luke’s (Idaho) as they discuss 2026 preparations and share practical ways to improve operations, reduce burnout, and support your teams.

Insights will include:

  • Preparing for OBBBA’s impact on staffing and reimbursement,
  • Using AI to streamline HER and scheduling, and
  • Improving surgical workflows for outpatient care.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, December 2, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register