Rural Spotlight

NRHA Webinar: Swing Bed Culture and Attention to Wellness Vital to Rural Healthcare, A Transitional Care Model, February 20

February 7, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Swing Bed Culture and Attention to Wellness Vital to Rural Healthcare, A Transitional Care Model, February 20

Join this webinar to learn how over 100 Critical Access Hospitals both independent and not, have cared for over 17,000 patients representing more than 244,000 swing bed days.

These 100+ facilities saw an average growth in swing bed days of 47% by the second year.

  • 65% of patients were categorized as complex medical or complex surgical which is a growing patient population.
  • Only 7% of Transitional Care patients were discharged directly back to acute care during a program stay of less than 30 days.
  • 77% of patients were discharged from Transitional Care back to independence.
  • The average patient rating was 4.83 out of 5 when asked if patients would “recommend the program to others”.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, February 20, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

New JRH Brief Report: “Everything cannot be handled virtually”

February 7, 2025

New JRH Brief Report: “Everything cannot be handled virtually”

This qualitative study assessed internet access and use, barriers, and facilitators to participating in digital health interventions or programs, and the engagement experience in virtual versus in-person health interventions among rural adults and rural cancer survivors.

Conclusions

Findings from this qualitative study provide an in-depth understanding of the intricate experiences of rural adults and rural cancer survivors when engaging with digital health technologies.

Integrating the experiences of rural adults and rural cancer survivors may aid in developing clinical and community-based interventions and policies that support increasing access to digital health services and programs for rural communities.

Click Here to read full report

New JRH Article on Digital Health Technology

February 7, 2025

New JRH Article on Digital Health Technology

The National Journal of Rural Health (JRH) recently published a new article on Medicare telehealth utilization by Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click Here to Read full article

Why Travel Time is Better Indicator of Access than Zip Codes

February 5, 2025

Why Travel Time is Better Indicator of Access than Zip Codes

Patients who travel longer distances to emergency facilities are more likely to present with more severe medical conditions, highlighting travel time as a key indicator of health care access. Additionally, health care leaders look a how organizations can use social determinants of health to reduce disparities in underserved communities.

Click Here to Read “Travel time is better indicator of access than ZIP codes, study suggests”.

Click Here to Read “Reducing Disparities and Promoting Health Equity in Underserved Communities with Social Determinants of Health”.

Funding Opportunity: Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS), HRSA-25-041, Apply by April 22

February 5, 2025

Funding Opportunity: Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (Rural MOMS), HRSA-25-041, Apply by April 22

The purpose of the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (Rural MOMS) program is to support collaborative improvement and innovation networks to improve access to and delivery of maternity and obstetrics care in rural areas.

Eligible Applicants Include:

  • Hospitals, including Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs)
  • Community-based organizations
  • Community health centers
  • FQHCs
  • Special district governments
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
  • State governments
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Small businesses
  • Independent school districts

Apply by April 22.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Funding Opportunity: Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development, HRSA-25-101, Apply by April 17

February 5, 2025

Funding Opportunity: Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development, HRSA-25-101, Apply by April 17

The purpose of this Rural Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Planning and Development Program is to improve health care in rural areas, including expanding access to medical care and long-term services, for rural aging populations by expanding PACE programs into rural areas.

Eligible Applicants:

  • City or township governments
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Special district governments
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) IRS status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
  • County governments
  • State governments
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments.
  • Public Institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • For profit organizations
  • Hospitals, including rural emergency hospitals
  • Community-based organizations
  • FQHCs
  • RHCs

Apply by April 17.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

Funding Opportunity: Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program, HRSA-25-007, Apply by April 10

February 5, 2025

Funding Opportunity: Rural Residency Planning and Development (RRPD) Program, HRSA-25-007, Apply by April 10

The purpose of the Rural Residency Planning and development (RRPD) program, HRSA-25-007, is to improve and expand access to health care in rural areas by developing new sustainable rural residency programs, including rural track programs (RTPs). These residency programs must achieve accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

Newly created rural residency programs will increase the number of future physicians training in rural areas, and ultimately the number of physicians practicing in rural areas with the goal of addressing the physician workforce shortages in rural communities.

The RRPD program provides start-up funding to create new rural residency programs in qualifying medical specialties that will be sustainable long-term through viable and stable funding mechanisms, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and other public funding sources.

Qualifying medical specialties are:

  • Family medicine
  • Internal medicine
  • Preventive medicine
  • Psychiatry
  • General surgery
  • Obstetrics and gynecology

Eligible Applicants:

  • Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public or private institutions of higher education
  • Rural Hospitals
  • Rural community-based ambulatory patient care centers

Apply by April 10.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

NRHA Webinar: How Critical Access Hospitals like Grand River Health are Overcoming Staffing and Compliance challenges with CDM Outsourcing, February 25

February 5, 2025

NRHA Webinar: How Critical Access Hospitals like Grand River Health are Overcoming Staffing and Compliance challenges with CDM Outsourcing, February 25

Grand River Health, a Critical Access Hospital with two Rural health Clinics and one Long-Term Care Center, recognized an opportunity in the changes they faced when their tenured CDM expert retired.

Weighing the impact of recruiting qualified talent and managing the cost of training and retaining resources, Grand River Health leaned on their partners to guide their exciting transformation.

Join this webinar to explore how outsourcing their Charge Description Master (CDM) process provided a sustainable solution. Hear from Grand River Health Controller, Theresa Wagenman, and industry expert Melissa Burris as they share insights on overcoming these challenges, achieving compliance, and improving financial sustainability. Discover the tangible benefits of proactive CDM management through expert led strategies and innovative technology.

This session is perfect for rural healthcare leaders and financial professionals looking to enhance comp0liance, efficiency, and financial health through sustainable CDM practices.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, February 25, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

New JRH Articles on Physical Therapy Utilization and More

February 5, 2025

New JRH Articles on Physical Therapy Utilization and More

The National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA’s) Journal of Rural Health (JRH) published articles on the following topics:

These are the Top 5 Policies to Transform Rural Health

February 5, 2025

These are the Top 5 Policies to Transform Rural Health

As a new administration takes the reins in Washington, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is mobilizing to work with policymakers to implement transformative policy changes to improve rural health care and other hospital leaders are also expressing their concerns.

Top 5 Policies to Transform Rural Health

  • Reduce regulator burden on small rural providers.
  • Secure key rural health care programs.
  • Make Medicare Advantage work for rural health care.
  • Stop implementation of payment policies harmful to rural providers.
  • Sustain rural health care infrastructure.

NRHA CEO Alan Morgan has released a statement as a rebuttal to the troublesome findings in a recent OIC report on CAH swing bed reimbursement. We can address the needs of rural communities and their hospitals through direct advocacy.

Click Here to Read “The top 5 policies to transform rural health”.

Click Here to Read “What hospitals want from Donald Trump and the new Congress”.

Click Here to Read “NRHA statement on OIG swing bed report”.

Click Here to Read “Cut swing-bed pay rates to match skilled nursing reimbursement and save billions, OIG tells CMS”.