National Rural Health Resource Center

While recent community health needs assessments had repeatedly pointed to gaps in mental and behavioral health services, staff at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital weren’t quite sure how to address those community concerns. The hospital’s participation in the Minnesota Path to Value Project (MNPTV) changed that. The hospital has since hired staff (including a new social worker), completed internal training on the social drivers of health, altered workflows and enhanced collaborations with area partners — all with one goal in mind: offering needed support to community members facing mental and behavioral health challenges. Watch the full video to learn more about the hospital’s successes and MNPTV ⬇️

Reduce costs. Improve quality. And improve health. State Offices of Rural Health and state Flex Programs across the country have partnered with Rural Health Innovations’ Rural Path to Value service to help their hospitals carry out population health projects that do just that. Let us help you deliver meaningful health changes in your rural communities. Learn more: https://bit.ly/RHI-PTV

Making the transition to value-based care at your small rural hospital or rural health clinic requires a culture change. Is your hospital or clinic ready to make the jump? The Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project, a Federal Office of Rural Health Policy-funded effort can help. Project participants receive one year of free, focused, virtual technical assistance designed to help strengthen their organization’s understanding of the key elements of value-based care. Project focus areas include quality, efficiency, patient experience and safety. Learn more and apply today: https://bit.ly/RHPTP

How are the current political and policy dynamics in Congress and the White House affecting rural health care and behavioral health providers? And how might policy changes and priorities shift following the upcoming fall elections? Join us for our next HELP (Health Education Learning Program) Webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 14 when we host Julia Harris, the health program director at the Bipartisan Policy Center, for a discussion of the “Federal Policy Landscape 2024 and Beyond: Implications for Rural Health Care Delivery and Behavioral Health.” Learn more and register for the free webinar at: https://bit.ly/HELP-Policy

Happy National Health Center Week! The Center is proud to join with other organizations across the country this week in celebrating the essential role that community health centers — nearly half of which are located in rural communities — play in improving health and advancing health equity. #NHCW24

Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) staff and consultants from Stratis Health completed on-site visits at two rural health clinics in south-central Texas last week — La Vernia Family Medical Center and Stockdale Family Medical Center. The clinics, current participants in RHPTP, are working on a quality improvement project that will embed quality processes into operations to help prepare for a transition to value-based care. Both clinics are scheduled to complete their work with Stratis Health at the end of the month and continue to work with RHPTP staff on implementation over the next year. #RuralHealth

Is your small rural hospital or rural health clinic thinking about making the shift to value-based care, but not quite sure where to start? The Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP), a Federal Office of Rural Health Policy-funded effort, can help. Project participants receive one year of free, focused, virtual technical assistance designed to help strengthen their organization’s understanding of the key elements of value-based care. Project focus areas include quality, efficiency, patient experience and safety. Learn more and apply today: https://bit.ly/RHPTP

Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program staff were joined by consultants from Stroudwater Associates last week at Delta Health System-The Medical Center and Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc. — both participants in DRCHSD’s 2023 cohort — to gauge each facility’s financial and operational performance, and to develop plans to put best practices into place. Topics addressed during meetings with hospital and health center leadership included: historical and potential demand for clinical services, opportunities to address clinical service line gaps, an evaluation of reimbursement and cash flow, and organization-specific options to adopt new payment and delivery care models and population health management. Next up for both health care organizations: They will work to carry out action plans with ongoing support from DRCHSD staff and consultants.

Want to get the most out of your community health needs assessment (CHNA)? Rural Health Innovations’ team has decades of experience working with rural hospitals on CHNAs. Let’s work together to make meaningful changes in your community. Learn more: https://bit.ly/RHI-CHNA

A big thanks to Forvis Mazars US for sponsoring the Networking Meet and Greet at this week’s 2024 Flex Program Reverse Site Visit in Washington, D.C.!