Rural Spotlight

MRHA Webinar: Missouri Psychiatry Consultation Programs, May 21

March 4, 2026

MRHA Webinar: Missouri Psychiatry Consultation Programs, May 21

Join the Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) for an informative session on Missouri’s psychiatry consultation programs designed to expand access to mental health care for children, adolescents, and perinatal individuals.

This webinar will explore the mental health challenges commonly faced by pediatric and perinatal populations and offer a clear overview of the services provided through the Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Project (MO-CPAP) and the Maternal Health Access Project (MHAP). Participants will learn when and how to refer patients, what support these programs can offer, and how they help bridge gaps in mental health access across Missouri.

Target Audience:

Providers serving pediatric and perinatal patients with mental health needs.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, May 21, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Now Open

March 3, 2026

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program Application Now Open

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is accepting applications for three loan repayment programs.

Primary care, dental, or mental and behavioral health providers working at NHSC-approved sites can receive up to $100,000 to help pay off student loans.

Compare programs and learn more about eligible disciplines, site types, and service commitment.

Click Here to Apply by March 31, 7:30 p.m. ET

Nurses Can Apply for Loan Repayment Now

March 3, 2026

Nurses Can Apply for Loan Repayment Now

The Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program application is open.

Registered nurses and advanced practice registered nurses working full-time at an eligible public or private critical shortage facility, or nurse faculty at an eligible school of nursing can pay off 60% of their nursing education debt with two years of service.

Apply by Thursday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. ET

HRSA Launches New Data Resources to Support Health Workforce Planning

March 3, 2026

HRSA Launches New Data Resources to Support Health Workforce Planning

HRSA’s National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) released three new data resources to support health workforce planning in 2026:

Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities Extension

March 3, 2026

Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities Extension

Recent legislation authorized an extension of many Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027. This includes:

  • Waiving geographic and originating site requirements,
  • Expanding practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services,
  • Allowing Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics to serve as distant site providers,
  • Delaying in-person requirements for tele-mental health services, and
  • Allowing audio-only telehealth.

Click Here to Visit Telehealth.HHS.gov to Learn More

HRSA Requests Feedback on 340B Rebate Model Pilot, Comment by April 20

March 3, 2026

HRSA Requests Feedback on 340B Rebate Model Pilot, Comment by April 20

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issue a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit stakeholder input regarding the potential use of rebates to effectuate the ceiling price under the 340B Program, including the standards and procedures that should govern the approval of manufacturer rebate plans and the impacts on all stakeholders.

This RFI seeks comments on whether HRSA should implement a rebate model under the 340B Program and how best to operationalize any such rebate framework for stakeholders. The information collected through this RFI will assist HRSA in evaluating the operational, financial, and drug access for patients of a rebate model on covered entities, manufacturers, and other stakeholders across the drug supply chain.

To provide stakeholders additional time to submit meaningful comments for HRSA’s review in evaluating operational, financial, and potential impacts on access to drugs for patients under a rebate model, HRSA has extended the comment period from 30 days to 60 days. Feedback on the RFI is due no later than April 20, 2026.

In addition, in compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction Act, HRSA seeks comments from the public regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of the Information Collection Request (ICR), related to a potential 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program.

Comments on this ICR should be received no later than April 27, 2026.

Click Here to Learn More and Comment on 340B Rebate Model Pilot Program,- April 20 deadline

Click Here to Learn More and Comment on Agency Information Collection Activities, April 27 deadline

Webinar: Healthcare at a Crossroads: Using Concierge Medicine to Strengthen Revenue, Retention + Patient Satisfaction, March 5

March 3, 2026

Webinar: Healthcare at a Crossroads: Using Concierge Medicine to Strengthen Revenue, Retention + Patient Satisfaction, March 5

Health systems are seeking practical ways to enhance revenue, improve physician satisfaction, increase patient satisfaction and retain top talent without disrupting existing business structures.

Flexible concierge medicine programs are emerging as a way to achieve these aims. These programs operate alongside traditional practice structures, allowing organizations to add a new revenue stream while preserving current workflows, staffing and governance – while also addressing growing patient demand for connectivity, continuity and more personalized care.

This session offers an overview of how healthcare organizations are offering membership medicine as an optional service. Patients can choose to remain traditional patients or opt into a membership based on their preferences, creating flexibility for both patients and practices and supporting higher patient satisfaction through choice and experience.

The session will also explore how increased physician satisfaction contributes directly to stronger patient relationships, recruitment, retention and financial performance. Leaders will gain clarity on how concierge programs fit within large medical groups and health systems without requiring restructuring or limiting participation to primary care.

Key takeaways include:

  • How flexible concierge programs enhance revenue while improving patient satisfaction – without changing business structure,
  • Why optional membership models appeal to patients seeking greater continuity,
  • How physician satisfaction supports better patient experiences, recruitment, retention and practice stability, and
  • Where concierge medicine fits within large, integrated healthcare organizations.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, March 5, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Click Here to Register

Whitepaper: How UVM Health Cut Clinician Burnout 65% in 4 Months

March 3, 2026

Whitepaper: How UVM Health Cut Clinician Burnout 65% in 4 Months

Clinician burnout driven by documentation burden is no longer an abstract risk: it is an operational threat to access, quality and workforce stability.

The University of Vermont Health, the largest health system in Vermont, faced rising burnout rates and mounting frustration tied to HER documentation. Serving a largely rural population across primary and specialty care, leaders needed a solution that improved clinician well-being without forcing productivity mandates or compromising training.

This KLAS Arch Collaborative case study details how UVM Health approached ambient documentation through a clinician-led, data-driven rollout. After a vendor neutral pilot, the organization scaled the technology across primary care, specialty practices and residency programs, guided by provider governance and continuous measurement.

Within four months, self-reported burnout dropped from 69% to 24%. Clinicians described a renewed ability to be fully present with patients, while visit volumes increased organically without top-down mandates. Governance remained clinician led, with ongoing measurement using EHR data, surveys and patient feedback to sustain gains.

The study offers health system leaders a practical, evidence-based example of how addressing clinician experience can translate into measurable improvements across the organization.

Key takeaways:

  • How UVM Health reduced burnout by 65% using KLAS-validated metrics,
  • Why clinician led governance was critical to adoption and trust,
  • How ambient documentation supported organic productivity gains, and
  • Lessons for scaling across rural clinics and training environments.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper

Whitepaper: Physician Alignment, Engagement & Retention: A Roadmap for Healthcare Administrators

March 3, 2026

Whitepaper: Physician Alignment, Engagement & Retention: A Roadmap for Healthcare Administrators

Healthcare leaders know physician turnover is expensive. What’s less obvious is why so many retention initiatives fail to deliver lasting results.

Too often, engagement is treated as a survey, retention as an HR metric and alignment as an abstract goal. Meanwhile, burnout persists, vacancies linger, and organizations lose physicians they’ve invested heavily to recruit and onboard.

This whitepaper reframes physician retention as an enterprise priority and offers a clear roadmap for leaders who want measurable improvement, not temporary fixes.

Drawing on industry benchmarks, executive experience and practical tools, the report outlines how alignment, engagement and retention work together – and how health systems can operationalize all three.

Key learnings include:

  • The true financial and operational cost of physician turnover at scale,
  • How culture, leadership and physician voice directly influence engagement and retention, and
  • Practical tools, assessments and frameworks to build systems physicians want to stay in.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper

Whitepaper: The Implementation Gap: Bridging AI Promises and Healthcare Realities

March 3, 2026

Whitepaper: The Implementation Gap: Bridging AI Promises and Healthcare Realities

Imagine AI tools that clinicians trust, workflows that actually improve care and governance that supports scale instead of slowing it down.

For many health systems, the reality looks different. AI pilots stall. Clinicians push back. Value is hard to quantify. Leaders are left wondering why promising technology fails to translate into everyday practice.

Based on a Becker’s CEO + CFO Roundtable discussion, this report features insights from Northwestern Medicine, University of Iowa Health Care, SSM Health and Anumana.ai. Panelists explained why medical-grade AI demands a higher evidentiary bar, how governance and transparency shape adoption and why workflow integration determines success more than novelty.

Inside, readers will learn:

  • Why health systems must treat clinical AI like any other regulated medical device,
  • How trust and governance function as core strategy,
  • Lessons from systemwide AI deployments that disrupted workflows,
  • How leaders define ROI from day one, and
  • Why AI platforms, not point solutions, represent the future.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper