Rural Health Blog Posts

As rural health care leaders from the AHA and other health care organizations convened at AHA’s Rural Health Care Leadership Conference this week, a robust discussion took place over the role hospital and health system trustees can play in building confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines in their rural communities. Read six insights from the conference in this blog.

Today I had the opportunity to welcome more than 1,000 people to the AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference.

Rural hospitals have been and always will be a critical part of the nation’s health care delivery system. For nearly one-in-five Americans, they offer a caring and compassionate lifeline for individuals and families who would have few health care options otherwise.

Collaborating on key issues affecting hospitals and the health care system. Creating solutions to some of the biggest health care challenges impacting our country. Connecting with colleagues from across the country to share knowledge, ideas and support as we work to advance health in America. 

Ruby Kirby, CEO of two rural critical access hospitals in West Tennessee, shares insights on how her health organizations are working to eliminate health inequities and disparities in rural communities while building vaccine confidence.

Ruby Kirby, CEO of two rural critical access hospitals in West Tennessee, shares insights on how her health organizations are working to eliminate health inequities and disparities in rural communities.

This Thursday, Nov. 18, is National Rural Health Day. It’s an opportunity to show support for our rural hospitals and health systems, and also raise awareness about their resiliency, resolve, relationships and readiness — this year’s themes for the recognition day.

The AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference – one of AHA's flagship events – will be held in person February 6-9 in Phoenix, AZ. AHA Executive Vice President Michelle Hood previews the conference designed to help rural health care leaders and trustees accelerate the transformation to a more integrated and sustainable rural health system. Read more.

Makunda Abdul-Mbacke, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist, shares the challenges she faces in her rural Virginia community and her hopes for the future of rural health.

The opioid epidemic has been an incredibly challenging public health crisis in communities across our country. And it’s clear the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges. 

Given the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases around the country, we can’t say how much longer the official public health emergency will last. But we do know that many regulatory waivers put into place by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the start of the pandemic have worked very well and deserve to live on past the current crisis. 

In Bellingham, Wash., the PeaceHealth clinic is using community health workers, or promotoras, to help educate farmworkers in rural communities about the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Health leaders from across the U.S. convened to discuss the unique challenges facing rural communities and providers in addressing COVID-19 vaccine administration, confidence and barriers to access. Read the AHA blog that has insights from last night’s rural COVID-19 town hall hosted by AHA and the Black Coalition Against COVID.

One legacy of our response to COVID-19 surely will be how it has accelerated the adoption of virtual care. It is one of the more encouraging developments during the losses of the pandemic. 

Many of the digital solutions we relied on during the pandemic will remain, making digital health equity, including digital access and literacy, even more important. As hospitals and health systems design and implement digital solutions, it will be imperative to take proactive steps so all individuals have the opportunity to engage with these tools.

In this episode of Leadership Rounds, I talk with Alvin Hoover, CEO of King’s Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven, Miss., who is serving on the front lines of rural health care.   

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has brought us excruciatingly difficult times, I keep saying this is the finest hour for hospitals. Our field has risen to incredible challenges with expertise, commitment and compassion, and it’s inspiring to see.

When hundreds of leaders gather virtually February 17–18 for the AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, there will be opportunities for you to make, build and renew connections that help innovate and transform health care, through a pioneering approach toward conferencing.

The AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Virtual Conference and Engagement Experience – one of AHA's flagship events – will be held February 17-18. AHA Executive Vice President Michelle Hood previews the conference designed to help rural health care leaders and trustees propel the transformation to a more integrated and sustainable rural health system.

This case study highlights examples of capitated payment agreements that serve to increase the use and improve the quality of primary care services in rural communities. These arrangements are deployed at several levels of care management and delivery in the public and private sectors, with payment to parties such as managed care organizations, community health workers and physicians. Most of these models are enmeshed in larger, multi-agreement payment models and serve as an example of how to leverage capitated payments for specific services in conjunction with other payment methodologies such as fee-for-service, pay-for-value, and global budgeting.