Creative problem-solving: How rural hospitals are leading through disruption and challenge

Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and COO, and Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., and chair-elect designate of the AHA Board of Trustees, led a fireside chat on the realities of shepherding  rural hospitals through disruption and driving meaningful transformation in times of rapid evolution. “Rural health isn’t an afterthought; it’s a driver of progress,” Hood said. “We multiply the potential of all innovations to come — and more are coming.” Gassen said while rural health care faces challenges, he is optimistic. “I’m excited about the national dialogue that’s happening around rural health care,” he said. “It is giving us the opportunity to put ourselves in a position to influence that dialogue."

Susan Doherty, AHA vice president of field engagement, rural health and regional executive team, moderated a discussion with Jameson C. Smith, CEO of Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Lynda Stanley, president and CEO of Dosher Memorial Hospital in Southport, N.C., who shared how they are approaching the challenges facing rural hospitals and health systems today.