Rural Spotlight

Whitepaper: 5 Strategies to Bring Discipline to Healthcare Labor Cost Management

May 6, 2026

Whitepaper: 5 Strategies to Bring Discipline to Healthcare Labor Cost Management

Labor remains hospitals’ largest expense, yet many organizations still struggle to manage it effectively.

Persistent workforce shortages, rising premium labor and fluctuating patient demand have made traditional approaches insufficient. Organizations that rely on retrospective reporting often react too late, absorbing overtime costs and operational disruption.

This e-book outlines five proven labor management strategies used by high-performing healthcare organizations to better align staffing with demand, improve efficiency and sustain performance.

In this report, leaders will learn how to build a more structured, systemwide approach to labor management that connects daily decisions to long-term financial outcomes.

Insights include:

  • Setting clear targets grounded in volume, rate and efficiency,
  • Managing labor through consistent operating rhythms,
  • Ensuring accountability at every level,
  • Analyzing and reducing premium labor spend, and
  • Approaching position control strategically.

Click Here to download this Whitepaper

Whitepaper: A New Era in Diabetes Management

May 6, 2026

Whitepaper: A New Era in Diabetes Management

A person living with diabetes may see providers across endocrinology, primary care, cardiology and bariatrics, yet continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data is often not easily available to the full care team.

This guide shows how health systems can build a more connected, scalable approach to CGM management by making data more actionable inside the clinical workflow.

As CGM adoption grows, health systems have a chance to move from episodic review toward more continuous, team-based diabetes management. But success depends on more than device access. It requires workflows that support data visibility, clinical decision-making and financial sustainability.

This resource reviews the CGM landscape, outlines common workflow challenges and highlights opportunities to support enterprise CGM management across settings. It also examines how organizations can align CGM programs with value-based care, Remote Patient Monitoring and Chronic Care Management strategies.

Key takeaways:

  • How to make CGM data actionable within the EHR workflow,
  • How one regional health system approaches CGM management across care settings,
  • Which reimbursement models can support long-term scale, and
  • Why enterprise CGM strategies matter for chronic disease management.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper

Webinar: Pharmacy Procurement at Scale: What’s Breaking and How to Fix It, May 12

May 6, 2026

Webinar: Pharmacy Procurement at Scale: What’s Breaking and How to Fix It, May 12

Pharmacy procurement becomes increasingly difficult to manage as health systems expand.

Many organizations have centralized strategies in place, yet purchasing decisions remain reactive. The result: inconsistency, missed savings and increased compliance risk across the enterprise.

This session explores where traditional procurement models fall short and what leading organizations are doing differently. Learn how real-time data and improved visibility can support more consistent, informed purchasing decisions across the enterprise.

What’s inside:

  • Why reactive purchasing leads to inconsistency, missed savings and compliance risk,
  • How real-time visibility improves purchasing performance and control, and
  • Strategies to standardize procurement while maintaining flexibility.

Cost: Free

When: Tuesday, May 12, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

Webinar: The Scheduling Fix that Cleared a Community Hospital’s OR Backlog in 90 Days, May 14

May 6, 2026

Webinar: The Scheduling Fix that Cleared a Community Hospital’s OR Backlog in 90 Days, May 14

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, a 427-bed community medical center, faced a multi-month surgical backlog – compounded by fragmented scheduling, manual workflows and poor communication across facilities. It was a significant operational challenge with no easy fix.

But in 90 days, the perioperative team rebuilt how scheduling worked across the system, eliminating the backlog, unifying 83 schedulers across multiple sites and achieving financial ROI within six months.

In this session, perioperative leaders from PVHMC share the operational changes that made it possible, from block management strategy to cross-department process redesign, and what sustainable OR performance improvement looked like on the ground.

You’ll learn how PVHMC:

  • Eliminated a 2-3 month surgical backlog in 90 days,
  • Achieved 100% scheduler adoption across the main OR, outpatient pavilion and GI clinics,
  • Unlocked significant additional surgical capacity through proactive block management, and
  • Delivered measurable financial ROI within six months through FTE savings and increased case volumes.

Cost: Free

When: Thursday, May 14, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

National Nurses Month Nurse Scholar Program Scholarship Opportunity; Apply Today to Take the Nurse Scholar Program for Free

May 4, 2026

National Nurses Month Nurse Scholar Program Scholarship Opportunity; Apply Today to Take the Nurse Scholar Program for Free

Enhancing rural nursing practice through distance learning.

The AgriSafe Nurse Scholar program is an online, on-demand learning experience taught by experts in agricultural health & safety.

The program will help nurses increase their competence in prevention, identification, and assessment of diseases and conditions commonly experienced by people working in agriculture.

Topics covered include:

  • Emerging issues
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Respiratory hazards
  • Dermatologic disorders
  • Pesticide exposure
  • Women’s health issues
  • Zoonoses
  • Immigrant farmers
  • Safe-guarding children
  • Rural behavioral health
  • Musculoskeletal disorders
  • Aging, and more

Click Here to Learn More and Apply

MHA Health Institute: Navigating the Complexities of the Nurse Manager Role, September 16-17

May 4, 2026

MHA Health Institute: Navigating the Complexities of the Nurse Manager Role, September 16-17

The role of a nurse manager is crucial and unique in health care settings. They bridge the gap between front-line nurses and administrative leadership and are tasked with developing strong teams of nurses to deliver exceptional patient care.

This two-day event delves into the distinct challenges that nurse managers face in their daily responsibilities. Through interactive discussions and case studies, participants will gain valuable insights into the complexities of this role and explore strategies to effectively overcome these challenges.

Objectives

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Discuss the process of transitioning into a nurse manager leadership role and how to successfully balance clinical expertise and managerial responsibilities,
  • Learn concepts of SWOT analysis to evaluate staff and identify opportunities for improvement,
  • Identify elements of a healthy work environment and discuss how to incorporate psychological safety and open communication,
  • Develop approaches for effective communication and collaboration across the continuum, from upper management to staff and interdisciplinary teams, and
  • Discuss the nurse leader’s role in maintaining regulatory compliance.

Cost:

  • MHA Members $495
  • Non Members $595

When: Wednesday, September 16 – Thursday September 17

Click Here to Learn More and Register

MHA Health Institute: From Staff Nurse to Charge Nurse, June 2

May 4, 2026

MHA Health Institute: From Staff Nurse to Charge Nurse, June 2

This event will focus on the unique challenges nurses face when transitioning from peer to leader and professional role model within clinical settings. You’ll explore leadership styles that support safe, high-quality patient care, strategies for navigating conflict on fast-paced units, and communication techniques that strengthen teamwork across the interdisciplinary care team.

Additional topics include effective delegation aligned with scope of practice, fostering psychological safety, and practical approaches to protecting your mental, emotional, and physical well-being while leading in today’s demanding healthcare environment.

Objectives

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

  • Identify characteristics of a good charge nurse and how to build upon these attributes,
  • Identify key differences and challenges of transitioning from a peer to a leader and role model as a charge nurse,
  • Develop and recognize a charge nurse’s role in positively affecting productivity, team collaboration, staff retention and patient outcomes,
  • Describe and apply the role emotional intelligence plays in building trusting relationships, resolving conflict and improving communication,
  • Identify and develop methods to overcome obstacles/challenges as a leader in an ever-changing and chaotic health care environment,
  • Outline approaches to improve the art of delegation and accountability for outcomes,
  • Describe responsibilities and obligations to regulatory bodies, upper leadership, staff, patients and self while functioning in the charge nurse position, and
  • Develop survival techniques for your mental, emotional and physical well-being, as well as professional growth.

Cost:

  • MHA Members $395
  • Non Members $495

When: Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, August 6

Click Here to Learn More and Register

MHA Health Institute: Infection Prevention Academy, 8 Sessions, Starts June 2

May 4, 2026

MHA Health Institute: Infection Prevention Academy, 8 Sessions, Starts June 2

This academy will prepare infection prevention health care professionals, both new to their role and those seeking an excellent knowledge refresher, to be facilitators and new resources for surveillance, prevention and control of infections.

Professionals who are new to infection prevention responsibilities will learn how to manage the everyday duties of infection surveillance, analyze disease data, and identify problems and resolutions. It will enhance existing programs through a presentation of current guidelines and evidence-based practices applicable to infection control programs, product selection and evaluation.

Cost:

  • MHA Members $400
  • Non Members $500

When: Tuesdays, Starting June 2 through July 28

Click Here to Learn More and Register

Webinar: How Health Systems Can Lead Through Disruption: Cost, Supply Chain and AI, May 20

May 4, 2026

Webinar: How Health Systems Can Lead Through Disruption: Cost, Supply Chain and AI, May 20

U.S. hospitals are under pressure from every direction – cost constraints, supply chain instability, cybersecurity threats and the push to integrate AI responsibly. The question isn’t whether to adapt. It’s how.

In this webinar a global medtech CEO shares how a global MedTech leader is addressing these challenges while helping hospitals improve patient care, throughput, and operational efficiency in an ever changing environment.

This session offers a practical, global perspective on the forces reshaping U.S. healthcare and how industry partners support healthcare systems and what they can do in response.

You’ll leave with insight on:

  • How supply chain resilience protects care continuity in an unstable environment,
  • Where single-use endoscopy can help offset provider cost pressures,
  • How AI and connected digital platforms support standardized, scalable care delivery, and
  • Why innovation, security and patient care are best addressed together.

Cost: Free

When: Wednesday, May 20, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Click Here to Register

On-Demand Webinar: How AdventHealth Improved Care Transitions and Drove $48.6M is Operational Value

May 4, 2026

On-Demand Webinar: How AdventHealth Improved Care Transitions and Drove $48.6M is Operational Value

Length of stay is one of the most significant sources of avoidable cost and operational strain in hospitals today, yet many health systems still struggle to reduce unwarranted variation in inpatient days in a clinically appropriate and sustainable way.

In this webinar, hospital leaders will hear how AdventHealth addressed avoidable length of stay by Aligning IT and care management and implementing coordinated changes to people, processes and technology. Presenters will share how greater transparency across discharge processes supported timely, appropriate post-acute placement – enhancing patient-centered care and creating more predictable patient flow..

Attendees will learn how this work helped AdventHealth unlock $48.6M in systemwide value (full-year impact), achieve a 9% improvement in length of stay, cut post-acute placement time in half and improve patient flow across more than 50 hospitals.

Attendees will learn how to:

  • Identify the highest-impact drivers of avoidable length of stay tied to post-acute discharge delays,
  • Align IT and care management to improve visibility, accountability and timely decision making,
  • Translate length of stay improvement into measurable financial impact and increased capacity, and
  • Apply a repeatable, system-ready approach to sustaining care transition improvements at scale while integrating with an existing EMR.

Click Here to Download this Whitepaper