The Forum Is Coming! The Forum Is Coming!
Just as Paul Revere warned the town that the British were coming, I’m letting you know the Forum is coming. The band Weezer released a song called “The British Are Coming” and in the song it says “our mission is to keep the tradition alive, it’s up to us, it’s our responsibility, who else is going to do it.” Ok, well the Weezer song lyrics is a stretch, but it’s a fun listen! And I’m declaring the 18th Annual Forum Is Coming!
The Forum is a yearly gathering and conference dedicated to providing information, education, resources and networking opportunities for rural health clinics. This is the 18th year and we are proud of the growing attendance of this conference. This year we are kicking the event off with workshops that focus on MIPS/MACRA, QI methods, patient navigation, emergency preparedness, Healthcare Coalitions, Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer and Project Echo and that’s just day 1!
Thursday, the official start of the conference will feature Chad Porter. “I have fought back from near death as a teen and have helped hundreds of thousands learn how to not only cope with life but to persevere and come out better on the other side!” said Chad. Those that have had the opportunity to hear his story say “he is inspirational, has passion, honesty from his story” and we are excited for him to share his story. For us at CRHC, it is important to ensure we have a patient perspective at all of our conferences. After all, you do what you do to help people!
As you know, healthcare policy has been on the minds of most since January and we will have the opportunity to hear about state and federal policy and how the changes to the rules impact RHCs and what is on the horizon for change. I hope that you are all preparing your questions for our speakers as policy is a hot topic nowadays.
Other presentations include the recent fires in the northeast part of our state, SIM, workforce, accountable care organizations, rural health compliance, alcohol and drug use in rural Colorado, oral health, cancer survivorship, mental health, and data silos. Now more than ever, data is a way for RHCs to showcase the great work you do and the population you serve. Did you know that CRHC has a Healthy Clinic Assessment (HCA) Program and that the HCA strengthens the foundation of the clinic, allowing greater focus on quality improvement, data collection and a patient-centered care model? The goals of the HCA are to increase quality of care, increase clinic efficiency and to increase revenue and strengthen fiscal stability. Since 2009, CRHC has conducted 98 HCAs and 7 out of every 10 RHCs have seen significant improvement in operational processes and 8 RHCs have gone onto achieve NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home status. RHCs have also moved into participating in CRHC’s Improving Communications and Readmissions (iCARE) Program. The iCARE Program works with Colorado’s critical access hospitals and RHCs (55 clinic/hospital teams) from 20 rural counties working together to address a shared goals to better the patient experience by streamlining communication between care settings and improving clinic process, leading to reductions in avoidable hospital readmission rates. From 2015-2016, 78% of diabetic patients who receive care at iCARE participating clinics demonstrate good control of blood glucose levels, compared to 55% nationally. This is significant because 31.6% of total readmissions are related to diabetes complications and it is estimated that uncoordinated care costs $7,340 per patient. Are you struggling with getting data out of your system or having issues with your data workflow and just don’t know how to move forward? CRHC is launching a Healthy Data Assessment, which is similar to a HCA, but looks at your systems and processes around data. If you need reports written out of your electronic medical record, reach out for help. Don’t struggle or feel overwhelmed. Reach out to CRHC and get involved. The best way to tackle challenges to is work together with your State Office of Rural Health and Rural Health Association. Together we will sustain rural healthcare!
CRHC is excited for the opportunity to visit with you at this year’s Forum!
The Forum
April 12-14, 2017
Sheraton Denver West Hotel
360 Union Boulevard
Lakewood, CO 80228
