The Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP) is supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) and administered by the National Rural Health Resource Center. The monthly e-newsletter delivers resources, educational events, and targeted technical assistance opportunities to help strengthen the foundation in key elements of value-based care for qualified small rural hospitals and certified rural health clinics.
Apply Now for One Year of Virtual and On-site Technical Assistance
Application deadline is Tuesday, August 15, 2023!
Applications are being accepted for the 2023-2024 cohort of the Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project (RHPTP).
Small rural hospitals and certified rural health clinics selected to participate in RHPTP receive one year of focused technical assistance (TA) that's designed to strengthen their organization's understanding of the key elements of value-based care. Project focus areas include quality, efficiency, patient experience, and safety. Five applicants are selected each year to receive RHPTP's virtual and on-site TA.
Guadalupe County Hospital: Making Big Strides on Their Journey to Value-Based Care
Guadalupe County Hospital (GCH), a 10-bed, not-for-profit, sole community hospital located in Santa Rosa, NM, was one of four organizations selected to participate in the 2020-2021 Rural Health Provider Transition Project.
During the hospital’s year-long engagement in RHPTP, GCH worked with the program’s technical assistance (TA) consultants on finance and operations improvements, as well as developing a strategy and infrastructure to improve coordination of care in preparation for participation in alternative payment and care delivery models. Below are some of GCH’s post-project measurable outcomes and top accomplishments made possible through their RHPTP participation.
Post-Project Measurable Outcomes
Increased operating margin by 60%
Increased days cash on hand by 9%
Improved HCAHP score for “Would Recommend Hospital” by 26%
Improved operating efficiencies by 25%. Efficiencies included optimizing all available revenue generating opportunities, maintaining an appropriately low-cost structure, embracing a measurement culture, and having effective revenue cycle controls and metrics
150% improvement in culture of care coordination and team-based care
65% improvement in informatics and analytics
21% improvement in organizational change management
150% increase in overall processes and systems to support excellence in quality improvement
Top Accomplishments
Revised hospital discharge process based on observations and lessons learned
Completed a root cause analysis to identify specific improvement opportunities related to coordination of care
Initiated process for including assisted living staff in discharge of their residents
Developed a list of community resources to address social drivers of health
Leadership team worked in partnership with nursing staff to improve coordination of care
Developed a measurable ongoing action plan tied to facility strategic goals
Community promotion of quality data
Coordination of job fairs at the schools, and development of a high school student shadowing program
Creating a culture of goal setting
To learn more about Guadalupe County Hospital's current work and future plans, Click Here!
This webinar will offer strategies and tactics for influencing and leading toward value-based care (VBC) in a rural health care organization and community and explore risks and unintended consequences important to understand when leading in a VBC and payment environment.
Speaker: Debra Laine, National Rural Health Resource Center
This webinar will introduce tools for identifying partners and creating allies within your community by recognizing all of the social drivers of health being experienced. This webinar will ground you in community care coordination and its role in population health, provide best practices, and teach you how to engage and sustain these partnerships. Applying these principles will strengthen the capacity of your health care delivery system to create buy-in, establish accountability, and better manage the health of your population.
To view previous HELP webinar playbacks, visit our website.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the time set aside each year to raise public awareness about behavioral health issues, reduce stigma and encourage people to seek professional help. Check out the following resources health care organizations can use to help support their patients and communities:
The Mental Health in Rural Communities Toolkit compiles evidence-based and promising models, and resources to support organizations implementing mental health programs in rural communities across the country. The toolkit’s modules contain resources and information focused on developing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining rural mental health programs. The toolkit was produced by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, in partnership with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, and in collaboration with the Rural Health Information Hub.
FindSupport.gov, a user-friendly website just released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, helps the general public to identify available resources, explore unbiased information about treatment options and learn how to reach out to get the support they need when dealing with mental health and substance use issues.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Mental Health Awareness Month website includes a variety of resources — a toolkit with shareable social media content and a list of events hosted throughout the month — designed to help increase awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being.
Disclaimer: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U5ERH39345 as part of a financial assistance award totaling $800,000 (0% financed with nongovernmental sources.) The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
- Apply Now for One Year of Virtual and On-site Technical Assistance - Deadline: August 15, 2023
- Meet the RHPTP Technical Assistance Consultants
- RHPTP Informational Webinar Registration
- HELP Webinars Registration
- Rural Health Value Community Engagement Resource Guide
- Apply Now for One Year of Virtual and On-site Technical Assistance - Deadline: August 15, 2023
- 2021-2022 RHPTP Cohort Outcomes
- HELP Webinars Registration
Guadalupe County Hospital (GCH) is a 10-bed, not-for-profit, Sole Community Hospital providing acute care, emergency medicine, imaging, pain management, laboratory, and related outpatient ancillary services to the residents of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and the surrounding communities.
