MHA's Center for Rural Health

HHS, Labor agree to help train rural health IT workforce

The departments of Health and Human Services and Labor have signed a memorandum of understanding to support community and technical colleges in training health information technology professionals who work at rural hospitals and clinics, the White House announced Feb. 21.

“Health information technology has the potential to improve the quality, access and efficiency of health care delivery, especially in our nation's rural areas,” said Mary Wakefield, administrator of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration. “To achieve this aim, it is essential that we have a skilled health IT workforce. This memorandum of understanding with our colleagues at the Department of Labor will build on existing collaborations to help ease the challenges of geographic isolation and staff shortages faced by rural communities and help move us toward our mutual goal of Health IT workforce development.”

The agreement was one of several steps the administration announced in an effort to strengthen the economy and create jobs.

Rurals Prove Size Is No Barrier to Reaping Lean Rewards

North Carolina collaborative shows how rural hospitals everywhere can join forces to build Lean cultures, identify rapid-improvement events, train staff and share best practices. Learn more from Hospitals & Health Networks magazine here.

NRHA condemns critical-access cuts

The Obama administration's proposed Medicare cuts of $2 billion over 10 years to critical-access hospitals were criticized by the National Rural Health Association as being unrealistic and not easily workable. Read more from Modern Healthcare here.

Are You Standing in the Way of High Performance?

Achieving performance excellence continues to be the theme at the 25th Annual Rural Health Care Leadership Conference. The question is: Are you the reason your hospital isn't a high-performance, reliable organization?

Read more from Matthew Weinstock in H&HN magazine here.

Time to Adapt

Speakers and attendees at the Rural Health Care Leadership Conference talk about the need to innovate and adapt in order to create high-performance, sustainable rural health care. Read more here.

Survival of the Rural Independents

Rural hospitals are currently exploring a host of partnership opportunities, from collaboration with similar providers to affiliation with larger systems. H&HN senior editor Matthew Weinstock reports live from the Health Forum-AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference with a look at this key issue.

Rurals Tackle Reform, Payment, Workforce Challenges

Rural hospitals are facing several key tests this year, including reform implementation, workforce issues and ongoing reimbursement uncertainty. H&HN Senior Editor Matthew Weinstock reports live on these issues and more from the 25th annual Health Forum/AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference.

In Focus: Rural Health

Running a rural hospital isn't easy these days. As the health system continues to evolve, rural execs will be challenged like never before, yet they show an 'openness' to reinventing care delivery.

Read more from Matthew Weinstock in Hospitals & Health Networks here.

Bill would improve Medicare payment for small, rural hospitals

Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) on Feb. 1 introduced the Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (R-HoPE) Act (H.R. 3859), American Hospital Association-supported legislation that would provide additional Medicare funding for small and rural hospitals. The bill would improve Medicare payment for rural hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of low-income patients, and adjust the low-volume adjustment for small prospective payment system hospitals that do not qualify as critical access hospitals.

It also would extend reasonable cost reimbursement for clinical diagnostic laboratory services provided by small rural hospitals in certain states and a 5% add-on payment for rural home health agencies, among other provisions. AHA voiced support for the bill in letters to McMorris Rodgers and Thompson.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) introduced a Senate version of the bill (S. 1680) in October.

How One Hospital Entices Doctors To Work In Rural America

Recruiting doctors to live and work in rural America is a chronic problem. Most health centers try to attract workers with big salaries and expensive homes.

The Ashland Health Clinic, a tiny hospital in southwest Kansas, is trying a different tack — a reverse-recruitment model. It's called mission-focused medicine, and it's based on serving problems most commonly found in third-world countries.

Read and hear more from NPR here.