Community & Population Health Community support of the local health care system is vital for sustainability and growth. Learn how to create a healthier and more engaged community by working with The Center.
Health Information Technology Consulting As the national knowledge center on rural electronic health record adoption, The Center offers comprehensive services targeted at rural hospitals, rural health clinics and state and national HIT programs.
Leadership Success begins with strong, informed leadership. The Center offers a variety of services, on-site and remotely, to leaders to assess strengths and identify areas of useful performance improvement.
Workforce The Center understands that rural health care facilities face unique workforce challenges. Since 1991, The Center has assisted rural citizens, health professionals, educators and policymakers with design and implementation strategies to assure the availability of quality health care.
Strategic Planning Effective planning is critical for organizational success. Expertly facilitated services conducted by The Center’s staff of national rural health experts will help hospitals and organizations achieve this success.
Performance Improvement The Center offers a complete spectrum of rural health performance improvement services. With support from The Center, clients succeed in aligning people, processes and resources with their mission.
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.
Associates Program The Associates Program is designed to connect health care organizations and networks with highly qualified rural consultants and technical experts.
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.
Events Find information about upcoming webinars, workshops and more hosted by The Center or Rural Health Innovations.
Allied Health Webinars Find recordings and resources from recent technical assistance webinars for Rural Network Allied Health Training grantees.
Health Education and Learning Program (HELP) Webinars Eligible rural hospital leaders and staff can attend a HELP webinar to learn about current financial, operational and quality performance needs that impact their transition to the new health care environment.
Network Development Webinars Find recordings and resources from recent technical assistance webinars for Rural Health Network Development grantees.
Performance Management Group (PMG) Calls Learn from the experience of leading hospital administrators and nationally recognized field experts. PMG calls allow peer-to-peer education focused on preparing rural hospitals for new payment and care delivery models.
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.
The intended audience for the live events is State Office of Rural Health Directors, Flex Program Coordinators and supporting staff. The events are recorded and made available in the Flex Program Forum (login required). Flex Program Forum access is limited to those indicated on the Flex Program Forum page.
Flex VKG webinars are supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and coordinated by the Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC), a program of the National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center).
The tentative topic for the January Flex VKG is Flex Program support for provider-based RHCs. Flex VKG webinars provide a forum for state Flex Programs to share successes, discuss challenges and brainstorm strategies for improvement and Flex Program excellence.
The tentative topic for the March Flex VKG is CAHMPAS. Flex VKG webinars provide a forum for state Flex Programs to share successes, discuss challenges and brainstorm strategies for improvement and Flex Program excellence.
The tentative topic for the June Flex VKG is CAHMPAS. Flex VKG webinars provide a forum for state Flex Programs to share successes, discuss challenges and brainstorm strategies for improvement and Flex Program excellence.
The tentative topic for the August Flex VKG is Grant Logistics: Closing out the Flex Grant Year. Flex VKG webinars provide a forum for state Flex Programs to share successes, discuss challenges and brainstorm strategies for improvement and Flex Program excellence.
Understand Flex application components and submission requirements. Hear best practices for application review and submission, such as looking at scoring criteria, creating an internal review process, making sure you connect the dots from need to activity outcome, etc.
Learn how to utilize your PIMS data to help inform activities and projects for your Flex program. Hear tracking and data collection suggestions from other Flex programs.
Learn how the transition to value affects EMS. Discuss the potential for EMS to adapt in a value-based health care system. Discover how Flex Programs are working with EMS in the transition to value.
Learn tips, suggestions and methods to engage and support hospital boards and leadership. Hear about programs implemented by state Flex Programs to improve board engagement and leadership support.
Learn about what Community Health Workers (CHWs) are and their role in the transition to value. Hear how Flex Programs can support CHW initiatives. Hear how and why CAHs are using CHWs.
Understand the value of CAHMPAS and discuss different ways states are utilizing CAHMPAS. Learn best practices and tips for getting the most out of your CAHMPAS experience and hear about upcoming CAHMPAS developments.
Know where to find resources to support CAH financial improvement. Discuss different ways states are utilizing tools and leveraging relationships to improve financial performance within their CAHs. Understand the value of the CAHMPAS data query tool, CAHFIR and the use of subcontractors for financial improvement success.
Understand best practices for conducting a CAH site visit, discuss different ways states are utilizing tools and leveraging relationships to conduct a successful site visit and foster peer-to-peer sharing of CAH site visit templates, tools and resources.
Review the purpose of the Core Competencies for Flex Program Excellence and how they relate to Flex grant requirements. Hear about the self-assessment and learn about technical assistance available from TASC to support development of the Core Competencies. Discover how Flex Programs are using them to improve their program performance.
Participate in a VKG discussion about the book Crucial Conversations which provides suggestions for skills and approaches that help identify and hold crucial conversations. Hear some best practices and learn about other approaches and general facilitation tips.
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, $1,100,000 (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.
