Rural Health Path to Value Rural Health Innovations offers services to help you climb toward population health and improve the health status of your community.
Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) Work with us to set a course toward value-based payment and population health. A thorough assessment of your community's needs is the crucial first step.
Community Health Implementation Planning We can help you to strategically build and carry out a community health implementation plan that addresses the needs identified in your CHNA.
Additional Consulting Services
Network and Partnership Development More is possible when working together. Let us help you build bridges that lead to healthier communities.
Technical Assistance & Services Center (TASC) TASC provides performance improvement resources to CAHs and state Flex Programs on quality, finance, operations, systems of care and population health.
Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP) SHIP provides funding to approximately 1,600 participating hospitals in 46 participating SORHs to help small rural hospitals participate in value-based payment and care delivery models.
Network Technical Assistance (TA) RHI provides technical assistance (TA) to over 60 networks in the Development and Allied Health rural health network grant programs.
Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project The Small Rural Hospital Transition (SRHT) Project supports small rural hospitals nationally by providing on-site technical assistance to assist bridging the gaps between the current health care system and the newly emerging health care delivery and payment system.
Resource Library The Center's Resource Library features webinars, presentations, articles and toolkits developed by trusted industry leaders to guide and support rural health stakeholders.
Process improvement is one of the most valued concepts used in all industries, including health care and government. It is applied in operations, production and customer service and is key to quality, cost savings and outcomes. State Flex Programs can be the drivers of process improvement in rural health services by understanding and sharing concepts with health care providers and building process improvements into activities. State Flex Program proficiency in the following contribute to excellence in improving processes and efficiencies:
Applying continuous improvements
Understanding and utilizing frameworks
Sharing and using lessons learned and best practices
This document outlines four performance management tools: Balanced Scorecard, Baldrige, Lean and Studer. These tools have been identified as effective methods for managing performance improvement with small rural hospitals.
A series of five webinar recordings with rural hospitals and experts guiding them through a process to use the downloadable, pre-filled templates to develop and tailor their own Balanced Scorecard (BSC) & Strategy Map. The recordings also include educational slides from our subject matter experts and facilitated hospital discussion.
Learn about the Model for Improvement as the framework to guide improvement work following a Plan-Do-Study-Act model. The Model for Improvement is a simple, yet powerful tool for accelerating improvement.
This guide provides an overview of the five key concepts of Lean thinking as well as steps that should be implemented to create the ideal Lean system and Lean resources for health care organizations.
Learn how a CAH in Oregon developed a nine-step roadmap for success that rural hospitals can follow to implement Lean in their organizations without having to budget a lot of money for expensive consultants.
The first webinar in the three-part educational series for SHIP-eligible hospitals in 2016 covers the Principles of Lean Healthcare, the eight areas of waste and the voice of the customer.
The second webinar in the three-part educational series for SHIP-eligible hospitals in 2016 provides an overview of Value-Stream Mapping, 5S Worksite Organization, A3 Problem Solving and Standard Work.
The final webinar in the three-part educational series for SHIP-eligible hospitals in 2016 covers Lean culture transformation, Lean measurement and metrics, and how to initiate Lean projects or events.
Learn about the process, outcomes and lessons learned from a multi-hospital Lean process improvement initiative involving six CAH and funded by the New Hampshire Flex Program.
Read an article summarizing a Lean project implemented at one CAH from the fall issue of Penn State Outreach magazine and a final report completed by students detailing their work at Tyrone Hospital.
Discover the impact of value-based reimbursement on CAH processes, learn activities Flex programs can provide to develop efficient CAH business processes, understand the value of continuous improvement of CAH operations and understand how to maximize information technology.
This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB1RH24206, Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Grantees, $1,560,000 (0% financed with nongovernmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Recognize health information exchange (HIE) and information blocking concepts. Understand the health information exchange direction of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT for rural hospitals and clinics. Discover initiatives shared from a rural Regional Health Information Organization. Explain how state Flex Programs could support rural health information exchange efforts.
This quarterly webinar will include updates from TASC, RQITA, FMT and FORHP, to include both the Flex Program and policies impacting critical access hospitals (CAHs).
Flex Virtual Knowledge Group (VKG) webinars provide a forum for state Flex Programs to share successes, discuss challenges, and brainstorm strategies for improvement and Flex Program excellence.
