Rural Path to Value

A population health approach to treating patients — with its focus on the social, economic, environmental, and structural factors that impact health, alongside clinical care — is the future of health care. And we can help you be better prepared for it.

Population health isn't simply an industry buzzword. It's the future of health care in the U.S.

By embracing a range of population health-related tools, techniques, and approaches — better care coordination, stronger collaborations with community partners, addressing social drivers of health head-on, and others — rural health care organizations across the country are increasingly taking a more proactive approach to improving the health of the communities they serve. The results of their efforts? Improved health outcomes, improved patient experiences, and lowered costs for the entire health system.

Rural Health Innovations’ Rural Path to Value service is designed to support critical access hospitals and rural health clinics that are already taking early steps to adopt population health practices and want to become population health leaders.

Download the Rural Path to Value flyer for more information

Interactive workshops, webinars, one-on-one coaching calls, and peer sharing calls provide hospital and clinic leaders with the training, tools, and strategies they need to gain a deeper understanding of population health and health equity, and to plan and carry out a population health project that’s tailored to meet their community’s needs.

The ultimate goal of Rural Path to Value is to help hospitals and clinics make measurable improvements in their community's health outcomes — from increases in the number and percentage of patients receiving self-management education and support, to reductions in readmission rates.

And, along the way, we’ll also teach you how to better build and sustain community partnerships, how to develop and follow a process for planning organizational projects, and how to help your communities navigate the transition to population health.

Project Components

Health care leaders — working and studying in cohorts of up to six hospitals or clinics from a state or region — will:

Complete a population health assessment to gauge organizational readiness to transition to population health.
Identify a community population for project focus.
Design a strategic plan that identifies project goals and objectives.
Create a clear action plan, including project initiatives to carry out, workgroups to form, partners to engage, and a concrete timeline.
Build and strengthen relationships with key community partners.
Develop and manage processes that better link their hospital with community partners.
Implement their population health project and monitor its impact.
Plan for project sustainability.

Customer Testimonials

I'm most proud that nine months ago we were at about 30.9% optimal care for our Spanish-speaking diabetic patients. And this morning we are sitting at about 38%. ... So that's a very nice bump ... we're making a move.
Eric Gohman, Family Medical Director, CentraCare - Long Prairie Hospital

This program has allowed hospital staff to work on population health efforts in a really strategic and targeted way. The strategies they learn from RHI staff translate to any future project.
Stephanie Sayegh, Health Program Manager (Idaho Flex and SHIP Coordinator), Bureau of Rural Health & Primary Care, Division of Public Health, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

The tools of this project are not only helping us wrap our arms better around congestive heart failure, but it' s really a framework that can be applied across various patient populations.
Alicia Bauman, VP, Community and Population Health, Lakewood Health System

Make the Journey to Population Health

Health care organizations across the country are already addressing population health in their communities through Rural Health Innovations' Rural Path to Value program. Your hospitals and clinics can also make the journey.

Explore Rural Path to Value success stories

Addressing Population Health in Minnesota

Six of Minnesota's critical access hospitals are working to address population health in their communities through the Minnesota Path to Value (MNPTV) Project.

Discover how the MNPTV Project is making a difference