CEO Update: Spring is here and so is The Forum
I have a love/hate relationship with spring. In Colorado, spring can mean beautiful 60 degree days or a blast of snow that is heavy and wet. While we do need the moisture the snow brings, it also evokes a roller coaster of emotions such as, ‘I can plant my garden!’ to, ’Ah no you can’t!’ This type of roller coaster is what we face in the rural health environment daily, from the direct care giving to the policy decisions made that shape regulations.. Each year, CRHC hosts The Forum, a conference that brings together rural clinic staff from around the state to hear about the latest best practices, learn new skills, obtain new resources, and most importantly, to connect with one another. We have heard your feedback and have put together a fabulous line up of sessions and topics for this year’s agenda.
Topics include patient engagement, patient navigation, primary care leaders, oral health, behavioral health, telehealth, integration of care, data, quality improvement, population health, chronic care management, palliative care, communities and faith based care, ACOs, MIPs, MACRA, care equity, USDA loans, new tax laws, ACC, opioids and Medicare updates. We are also excited about seeing and connecting with old friends and making new friends through the many networking opportunities.
On the first day of the conference, we finish our day with the Kaiser Permanente Arts Integration Team. The keynote entitled, Loose Change, is a theatrical presentation sharing real-life stories of people living with limited financial resources and the challenges they face in healthcare settings. The play raises awareness and sets the stage for discussion.
On Thursday, our day starts with a keynote from Jeff Harper entitled Leading through Change. With people becoming more like consumers than patients, and with competition from urgent care clinics, retail clinics like Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens, and convenience clinics and free-standing ERs, RHCs are having to change to meet these challenges. Having a mobile society with disappearing loyalty means that we must evolve in order to retain and build a thriving practice.
With more and more emphasis on data today and now that Colorado’s Health IT Roadmap is finalized, CORHIO will be presenting on Colorado’s already-built, established and robust data repository of health information for 5.4 million patients. They will focus on sharing how the health information exchange meets specific needs of the rural healthcare community and assists in communication among providers across Colorado, regardless of the electronic health record system.
Finally, I’d like to highlight a session on one of the biggest areas of concern, the opioid epidemic. On Friday, we have the opportunity to hear from Allison Rosenthal and Maria Butler from CDPHE’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs. With a great deal of funding opportunities anticipated in the area of opioids, we hope this session will prove useful in thinking about how to address the issues in your local community.
At CRHC, we understand times are tough and it’s easy to lose sight of why you went into healthcare. We hope that by connecting with one another at The Forum and hearing how others are finding innovative solutions and processes in their clinic you will be rejuvenated and your spirit of service bucket will be refilled! If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. Click here for more information.
We are so thankful to all of you, our member clinics, hospitals and partners and of course to the Foundations and organizations that support you, CRHC and The Forum. We look forward to seeing you April 18 – 20.
