Rural Spotlight

NRHA Webinar: Turning IT Challenges into Opportunity: How Freestone Medical Center Saved $500K and Expanded Care, September 30

September 26, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Turning IT Challenges into Opportunity: How Freestone Medical Center Saved $500K and Expanded Care, September 30

Many rural hospitals recognize that their IT systems need an upgrade, but they lack the time, staff, or budget to undertake a comprehensive overhaul. This session shares how one rural facility took a phased, strategic approach to modernization, resulting in improved cybersecurity, reduced downtime, and over $500,000 reinvested into expanded care delivery.

You’ll hear from Brian Doerr, a rural IT expert who has helped hospitals in more than 40 states navigate telecom funding, privacy planning, and infrastructure strategy. A frequent speaker at AHA’s Rural Healthcare Leadership Conferences. Brian brings practical, tested advice for rural leaders who need solutions, not more systems.

Participants will:

  • Learn how a phased approach to IT upgrades can minimize disruption and common pitfalls,
  • Understand how to identify and prioritize improvements that align with rural staffing and budget realities, and
  • See how tracking metrics like downtime, efficiency, and savings can support future planning and reporting.

If you’re responsible for IT decisions and stretched thin on resources, this session offers real-world strategies you can apply now, without adding complexity.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, September 30, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Rural Health Research: Rural-Urban Comparisons of Nursing Staff Turnover Among Skilled Nursing Facilities

September 26, 2025

Rural Health Research: Rural-Urban Comparisons of Nursing Staff Turnover Among Skilled Nursing Facilities

This study from the University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center assessed facility-level turnover rates for nursing and registered nurse (RN) personnel across levels of rurality and by region.

A total of 14,986 facilities were included in the August 2023 data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Of those facilities, 72.3% were in urban areas.

Click Here to Read More

Rural Health Research: Health Insurance Coverage in Rural and Urban Areas in the U.S., 2023

September 26, 2025

Rural Health Research: Health Insurance Coverage in Rural and Urban Areas in the U.S., 2023

This brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis outlines the health insurance status of people in the U.S., by residence (rural and urban) in 2023, with additional breakdowns by age groups.

The analysis is based on data from the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), released September 2024 by the U.S. Census Bureau, providing a snapshot of coverage for a point-in-time with national data.

Click Here to Read More

Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project – Apply by October 10

September 26, 2025

Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project – Apply by October 10

Applications are being accepted by the National Rural Health Resource Center for a FORHP-funded technical assistance program supporting small rural hospitals and certified Rural Health Clinics as they prepare to participate in alternative payment and care delivery models.

Selected applicants will receive one year of focused, virtual and on-site technical assistance designed to strengthen their organization’s understanding of the key elements of value-based care. Project focus areas include quality, efficiency, patient experience, and safety.

Technical assistance will begin early December 2025

Click Here to Learn more about program eligibility and the application process.

Whitepaper: Better Risk Capture, Better Margins: An Exec Playbook for Improving Risk Adjustment

September 26, 2025

Whitepaper: Better Risk Capture, Better Margins: An Exec Playbook for Improving Risk Adjustment

Incomplete risk capture undermines revenue and care quality, especially as value-based models accelerate. Industry averages fall short: 80% recapture rates, 70% annual wellness visit coverage. That leaves dollars – and patient outcomes – at risk.

This toolkit shows how leading organizations are raising performance with best-in-class targets, technology-enabled processes and a focus on clinician engagement.

See how you can reach 95% recapture, minimize audit exposure and fund care improvements without adding administrative burden.

Download your copy for actionable insights, including:

  • The 7 metrics that determine risk adjustment performance,
  • Strategies to improve coding accuracy and protect revenue, and
  • Steps to operationalize better risk capture across teams.

Click Here to Download Whitepaper

Complimentary MHA Webinar: Building Your Health Care Workforce with Registered Youth Apprenticeship, October 14

September 26, 2025

Complimentary MHA Webinar: Building Your Health Care Workforce with Registered Youth Apprenticeship, October 14

This virtual event will feature active Registered Youth Apprenticeship programs in health care and emphasize how to start a program, identify best practices and discuss ongoing program maintenance.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Understand how talent pipelines can be built from comprehensive high schools and CTEs by pairing related instruction with paid on-the-job training in health care occupations, and
  • Hear from health care employers about their program setup and tips for running a successful program.

Cost: Complimentary to All Attendees

When: Tuesday, October 14, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Click Here to Register

Accepting Applications: NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program, Deadline November 6

September 26, 2025

Accepting Applications: NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program, Deadline November 6

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Students to Service Loan Repayment Program provides up to $120,000 in loan repayment funds to students in their final year of school who are studying to become a physician, dentist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or certified nurse midwife.

An additional $40,000 Maternity Care Target Area Supplemental Award is available to eligible physicians and certified nurse midwives. Designated Maternity Care Target Areas are within existing professional shortage areas that are experiencing a significant shortage of maternity health care professionals.

In exchange for loan repayment, participants must commit to three years of primary care services at approved sites in high-need areas.

The application deadline is November 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

New HHS Study Finds Home Visiting Services Improve Family Wellbeing

September 26, 2025

New HHS Study Finds Home Visiting Services Improve Family Wellbeing

The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), released new findings from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) study.

MIHOPE study highlights the long-term benefits to children and families participating in federally funded, evidence-based home visiting services through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program.

The results show that direct interactions between home visitors and families had statistically significant, long-term positive effects on maternal and family wellbeing outcomes by the time children reached kindergarten.

The positive outcomes included:

  • Improvements in families’ economic circumstances,
  • Reduced family conflict and violence,
  • Better maternal mental and behavioral health, and
  • Strengthened parent-child interactions.

Click Here to Read the Press Release

NRHA Webinar: Turning OR/ER Challenges into $5 Million Gains: A Rural Case Study, October 16

September 25, 2025

NRHA Webinar: Turning OR/ER Challenges into $5 Million Gains: A Rural Case Study, October 16

Johnson Memorial Health, a 58-bed rural hospital in Franklin, Indiana, uncovered $5 million in missed operating room and emergency department reimbursement through a focused review. With reimbursement gaps threatening already thin margins, the hospital needed a solution that could pinpoint missed charges and build a sustainable process for ongoing improvement. In this session, Dr. David Dunkle, President & CEO of Johnson Memorial Health and a practicing family physician, and Chris Milligan, MBA, CHFP, CRCR, a revenue cycle leader with more than 30 years of experience, share the challenges uncovered, the tools applied, and the measurable outcomes that followed.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Explore how Johnson Memorial Health identified hidden OR/ER reimbursement opportunities and applied them to recover $5M.
  • Understand the impact of physician leadership combined with revenue cycle expertise on financial sustainability.
  • Assess the role of HIM-driven reviews and leveling tools in improving reimbursement accuracy.
  • Consider low-risk approaches that can deliver measurable improvement without upfront costs.

Join this case study to see how a rural hospital turned OR/ER reimbursement challenges into measurable financial recovery and take away strategies you can evaluate for your own organization.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, October 16, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

NRHA Webinar: How to Build a QAPI Program That Works: Avoid a Top Cited Deficiency in Hospitals, October 14

September 25, 2025

NRHA Webinar: How to Build a QAPI Program That Works: Avoid a Top Cited Deficiency in Hospitals, October 14

QAPI remains a frequently-cited deficiency among rural and critical access hospitals – often due to weak data practices, missing documentation, or lack of leadership accountability. These gaps don’t just impact survey results – they impact patient care.

In this practical session, you’ll learn how to design a QAPI Program that meets CMS expectations and actually drives better outcomes, even when resources are limited. You’ll walk away with tools to strengthen your program, engage your team, and avoid costly mistakes.

Donna Gorby, MLD, BSN, RN, brings deep experience from her years in rural health leadership, including roles as VP of Quality, Director of Nursing, and Regulatory Compliance Officer. She now works with hospitals across the country to strengthen their QAPI strategies and close the gap between what’s written and what’s working.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Track metrics that matter and tie them to clear performance goals.,
  • Build a system of accountability across leadership, staff, and contractors, and
  • Avoid common pitfalls like missing documentation or disconnected data.

If your QAPI Program doesn’t drive results – or if survey readiness feels like a scramble – this session gives you the structure to fix it.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, October 14, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register