Rural Spotlight

Healthcare Readiness Report – A Primer for 2026

February 6, 2026

Healthcare Readiness Report – A Primer for 2026

Health systems are investing heavily in AI, cloud and digital transformation. Yet many lack the foundational readiness required to make those investments pay off. Nearly two-thirds of healthcare leaders say their IT is not ready to manage future risk, even as AI reshapes care delivery, workflows and workforce expectations.

This report explores why readiness gaps persist and how they directly impact clinician capacity, innovation speed and patient outcomes.

Based on a global survey of healthcare leaders and real-world infrastructure data, this report reveals how technology debt, fragmented cloud strategies and trust gaps are holding organizations back.

Learnings include:

  • Why clinicians are losing up to 23 days per year to data inefficiencies,
  • Where infrastructure and cloud decisions are quietly increasing risk, and
  • How leading organizations are aligning AI, infrastructure and workforce trust to prepare for what’s next.

Click Here to Download the Report

Webinar: Why Biomedical Tech Strategy Now Impacts Margins and Growth, February 24

February 6, 2026

Webinar: Why Biomedical Tech Strategy Now Impacts Margins and Growth, February 24

Aging biomedical infrastructure and fragmented data are no longer just operational headaches – they are margin risks. When healthcare technology management (HTM) operates in silos, technology becomes a liability instead of a strategic asset.

This leadership discussion explores how health systems can modernize HTM programs and better align biomedical teams, IT and enterprise systems. Through real-world examples, the session examines how thoughtful, safe use of AI can improve operational visibility, support device management and strengthen financial performance.

Rather than replacing systems, the focus is on making better use of existing EHR, enterprise resource planning, HTM and information systems to support operational continuity and future growth.

Insights include:

  • Practical strategies to address long-standing biomedical challenges,
  • How stronger system integration creates enterprise value, and
  • Where AI can be applied confidently to impact operations.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, February 24, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

On-Demand Webinar: Better RCM Outcomes, Same System – How Smart Strategy Can Beat Back Rising Denials

February 6, 2026

On-Demand Webinar: Better RCM Outcomes, Same System – How Smart Strategy Can Beat Back Rising Denials

Rising denials and long reimbursement cycles are common complaints – even among practices with leading EHR platforms. Technology alone isn’t solving the revenue challenge.

Some practices, however, are seeing a different outcome. By making strategic adjustments to how they manage revenue cycle workflows, they’re achieving up to 98% clean claims, fewer delays and less staff fatigue with the tools they’ve already invested in.

In this on-demand session, hear the practical steps these top-performing groups using athenahealth are taking to unlock better results from the same system.

What you’ll take away:

  • Proven tactics to reduce denials and clean up claims faster,
  • Steps to accelerate payments and shorten A/R cycles, and
  • Lessons in offloading administrative burden without adding headcount.

Click Here to Access this On-Demand Webinar

What Health Threats are on the Rise in Your Community?

February 5, 2026

What Health Threats are on the Rise in Your Community?

Population health is a primary concern in the minds of healthcare professionals, so Becker’s built a tool that makes it easier than ever to get a snapshot of the health of your community.

This preview report features population health trends from five major U.S. cities, offering an example of the insights available through the tool.

Enter your zip code to download the preview report and automatically receive a custom population health report for your community within a few days.

Your personalized report can be shared with key stakeholders on your team so you can make proactive decisions based on the unique needs of your community.

Key Takeaways:

  • Get a preview population health report featuring data from five major U.S. cities,
  • Enter your zip code to receive a custom population health report for your community within a few days, and
  • Download your custom report to share the results with friends or colleagues.

Click Here to Download the Report

Webinar: Beyond Survival: How Rural Hospitals Can Build Future-ready IT, March 25

February 5, 2026

Webinar: Beyond Survival: How Rural Hospitals Can Build Future-ready IT, March 25

Modernizing IT in rural Healthcare isn’t easy. Tight budgets, difficulty attracting and retaining skilled talent, and escalating cyber risks make it hard for rural hospitals to move beyond day-to-day survival.

This webinar examines how rural hospitals can modernize IT without breaking the bank. The focus is on how strategic partnerships and flexible leadership models can help organizations stabilize core systems, address risk and plan more effectively for the future.

Through real-world examples, attendees will learn how access to experienced IT leadership, enterprise-level capabilities and guidance on funding opportunities can support more sustainable decision-making. The session highlights practical approaches that help rural hospitals move from reactive IT management to more structured, future-ready planning.

Learning points:

  • Why a long-term strategic IT partner is essential for rural hospitals,
  • How full-time or fractional IT leadership supports expertise and continuity,
  • Turning funding opportunities into actionable IT upgrades, and
  • Real-world success stories in modernization and cyber resilience.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, March 25, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Inside OHSU’s Approach to Data-Driven Perioperative Staffing, March 18

February 5, 2026

Webinar: Inside OHSU’s Approach to Data-Driven Perioperative Staffing, March 18

Manual staffing processes and limited visibility into staff experience are quietly draining perioperative capacity across health systems.

Oregon Health & Science University faced these same challenges across 53 operating rooms. Leaders struggled with reactive staffing decisions, time-intensive coordination and inconsistent team assignments that made it harder to use staffed rooms effectively.

In this webinar, OHSU perioperative leaders share how they shifted from manual workflows to a data-driven staffing approach that improved utilization, strengthened team consistency and reclaimed more than 25 hours per week previously spent on staffing coordination.

Hear directly from OHSU leaders about what worked, what required change management and how they measured impact across perioperative services.

Attendees will learn:

  • How OHSU reclaimed 25-plus hours per week from manual staffing coordination,
  • Why improved visibility into staff experience matters for accurate assignments,
  • How predictive analytics reduced last-minute staffing changes, and
  • What drove a 5% improvement in staffed room utilization and 30% improvement in cross-training opportunities.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: Stop the $1.2M Bleed: A Proven Roadmap to Physician Retention, February 12

February 5, 2026

Webinar: Stop the $1.2M Bleed: A Proven Roadmap to Physician Retention, February 12

Every physician departure costs health systems up to $1.2 million in recruitment, onboarding and lost productivity. For high-volume specialists, that number can be even higher. Yet many hospitals still lack a structured plan to improve engagement and retain clinical talent.

In this live session, Scott Polenz – a former hospital CEO and vice president of physician relations – shares practical, data-informed strategies to build trust, strengthen alignment and reduce turnover across the physician workforce.

You’ll learn:

  • How to assess the financial impact of physician attrition and retention efforts,
  • A step-by-step approach to aligning physicians with organizational culture and goals, and
  • Practical tools to implement and sustain engagement strategies systemwide.

Cost: Free

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

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: 4 Costly Technology Challenges Hospitals Can Solve with AI Today

February 5, 2026

Whitepaper: 4 Costly Technology Challenges Hospitals Can Solve with AI Today

Hospitals face mounting pressure to improve efficiency, control costs, and safeguard patient care – all while managing increasingly complex medical equipment inventories. This article explores four practical ways artificial intelligence (AI) can help health systems tackle these challenges today. From improving inventory accuracy and reducing downtime through predictive maintenance to streamlining procurement and controlling non-labor expenses, AI offers measurable impact where it matters most.

Learn how aligning innovation with clear objectives, robust data, and strategic priorities can transform healthcare technology management (HTM) into a driver of operational resilience and financial performance.

After reading this white paper, readers will be able to:

  • List the key operational areas where health systems struggle to fully utilize medical equipment data to maximize productivity.
  • Identify where AI applications can complement the skills of healthcare technology management teams.
  • Name KPIs that can be used to effectively measure the impact of AI solutions in medical device management.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Whitepaper: 20 Criteria Hospital Leaders Should Use to Evaluate Telepsychiatry

February 5, 2026

Whitepaper: 20 Criteria Hospital Leaders Should Use to Evaluate Telepsychiatry

Hospitals are under increasing pressure to expand behavioral health access while managing emergency department congestion, inpatient capacity and limited psychiatric coverage.

Many organizations have adopted telepsychiatry to reduce boarding and improve access, yet leaders often struggle to evaluate which partners can meet hospital-level standards for quality, reliability and integration. Without a clear framework, critical gaps in credentialing, response times or workflows can be missed.

This whitepaper offers a practical checklist outlining 20 criteria to guide telepsychiatry partner evaluations. It helps hospital leaders move beyond surface features to assess long-term clinical, operational and financial fit.

Key takeaways include:

  • How virtual behavioral health services can improve access and reduce ED bottlenecks,
  • Quality, credentialing and governance criteria leaders should assess,
  • Operational and technology requirements that support timely consults, and
  • Reporting and financial considerations that impact sustainability.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Webinar: From Pilot to Proof: Building Virtual Health Programs That Pay Back, February 27

February 5, 2026

Webinar: From Pilot to Proof: Building Virtual Health Programs That Pay Back, February 27

Virtual pilots often start with clear objectives, but too few deliver lasting value. Many stall without clear exit criteria.

This session brings together leaders from Carilion Clinic, Keck Medicine of USC, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and Nuvance/Northwell Health to share how they’re redesigning pilots to ensure success is defined, measured and achieved.

Insights include:

  • How leading systems define pilot exit criteria, value metrics and scale readiness,
  • Strategies for converting workflow wins into measurable labor + cost impact, and
  • Lessons from pilots that turned into high-ROI, systemwide programs.

Cost: Free

When: Friday, February 27, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register