CEO Update: Transforming Rural Health
September is filled with the excitement of a new school year, leaves changing, and this year, a $50 billion dollar opportunity for rural healthcare.
Have you heard of it? In our world of rural healthcare, it’s all the talk. That isn’t surprising since this is the biggest investment in rural health in decades. While we are not ignoring the obvious that healthcare, and specifically rural healthcare, stands to lose a lot, this is an opportunity to help make change and move towards sustainable healthcare for rural people, communities, and facilities.
In each state, the Governor decides who is in charge of applying for this funding. In Colorado, that is HCPF, our Medicaid Department. I’d like to thank them and the Governor for including the Colorado Rural Health Center as the nonprofit State Office of Rural Health and Rural Health Association in Colorado in the planning process. We are also grateful for the Western Healthcare Alliance, Colorado Hospital Association, Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium, Rural Futures Group, rural hospital CEOs, rural health clinics, and so many others that have been working together collaboratively to gather ideas to come to consensus on the areas and activities that make the most sense for rural. The Colorado Rural Health Center is sharing these with HCPF. The opportunity has many rules that must be complied with that don’t always align with what makes sense, but everyone is doing their best to help ensure that rural hospitals and clinics do not close and that access to care will be there at the local community. Below is a list of the strategic goals as outlined in the opportunity.
To access the latest efforts and information from HCPF on what is happening in Colorado, visit this site. For information from CMS visit this site. For information from NRHA visit this site.
At the end of the day, fingers crossed, Colorado will be the recipient of these funds!
Strategic goals:
- Make rural America healthy again: Support rural health innovations and new access points to promote preventative health and address root causes of diseases. Projects will use evidence-based, outcomes-driven interventions to improve disease prevention, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and prenatal care.
- Sustainable access: Help rural providers become long-term access points for care by improving efficiency and sustainability. With RHT Program support, rural facilities work together-or with high-quality regional systems-to share or coordinate operations, technology, primary and specialty care, and emergency services.
- Workforce development: Attract and retain a high-skilled health care workforce by strengthening recruitment and retention of healthcare providers in rural communities. Help rural providers practice at the top of their license and develop a broader set of providers to serve a rural community’s needs, such as community health workers, pharmacists, and individuals trained to help patients navigate the healthcare system.
- Innovative care: Spark the growth of innovative care models to improve health outcomes, coordinate care, and promote flexible care arrangements. Develop and implement payment mechanisms incentivizing providers or Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to reduce health care costs, improve quality of care, and shift care to lower cost settings.
- Tech innovation: Foster use of innovative technologies that promote efficient care delivery, data security, and access to digital health tools by rural facilities, providers, and patients. Projects support access to remote care, improve data sharing, strengthen cybersecurity, and invest in emerging technologies.
Reach out to us with any questions!
