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Metropolitan hospitals usually enjoy an extensive network of clinics and facilities with integrated health information exchange; in contrast, community hospitals - owning certain clinical practices and forming affiliations with others - must cobble together ad hoc networks of care.

This mix of affiliation and ownership results in a patchwork of interconnected technology platforms that don't necessarily talk with one another and can be costly to replace or upgrade.

Fragmented systems and lack of communication between these entities often lead to delays and missteps in patient care. In this blog, we'll tackle how providers can implement digital communication tools to improve coordination between clinics and hospitals while maintaining existing technology investments and controlling costs.

How Digital Care Coordination is Solving the Rural Disconnect

Web-based scheduling and referral solutions have shown promising results in streamlining scheduling processes, reducing the burden on hospital staff, and boosting patient satisfaction. Digitally managed testing and procedures can also enhance patient referrals, making them easier, faster, and more convenient, thereby retaining revenue within the hospital.

Digital care coordination solutions offer several benefits, such as bridging gaps between clinics and hospitals, affordability, and ease of implementation, leading to immediate returns on investment. These solutions enable better care coordination by tracking scheduling requests, simplifying front-end functions, and capturing patient visits immediately.

The Value of Improved Connectivity

Hospitals stand to lose up to 20 percent of revenue due to gaps or inefficiencies in their referral processes. Improving care coordination reduces operational inefficiencies and enhances the overall quality of care provided, benefiting healthcare organizations and patients alike.

For instance, web-based applications enable providers to improve care coordination by tracking scheduling requests and simplifying front-end functions like pre-authorizations, medical necessity, and appropriate use criteria (AUC).

Best of all, electronic solutions are affordable and straightforward to implement, resulting in immediate returns on operating dollars.

MEDHOST YourCare Continuum

YourCare Continuum is an all-in-one platform that works with existing technology investments to unify communities of care where it's needed most.

The platform works by streamlining the order referral process for patients and providers, increasing visibility, and eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth. It automatically identifies elements that require verification and transfers order referrals, reducing manual efforts.

To explore how MEDHOST's digital care coordination solutions can benefit your facility, contact us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278.

From workforce shortages to reduced patient volumes, rural hospitals are feeling the economic pressure.

Their patients are, too. The 20% of Americans that live in rural areas experience shorter life expectancies, higher poverty, and less access to healthcare than urban and suburban residents. Ongoing financial pressures have led to widespread closures among rural providers, further deteriorating the critical health infrastructure these communities rely on.

But a lifeline is available. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 established a new rural Medicaid provider type, the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH), to improve rural healthcare access and address health disparities impacting these populations.

MEDHOST’s Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Solution can help you improve the flow of revenue and maintain vital emergency medical services. In this infographic, we illustrate how an existing medical facility can become a rural emergency hospital (REH), the benefits of making this transition, and how we can help.

Download the Infographic .

Don't let financial challenges jeopardize the health of your community. Contact us today at 1.800.383.6278 or email inquiries@medhost.com to learn more about our Rural Emergency Hospital Package.

When the topic of effective data integration in healthcare comes up, it's hard not to think of Led Zeppelin’s "Communication Breakdown."

Although this classic rock ballad may have been intended to connect more with the frustrated youth of a disillusioned generation, the central message will also strike a chord among providers in the healthcare industry, where pervasive disconnects have eroded patient outcomes and contributed to mounting physician burnout.

For smaller community hospitals without the resources to handle vast amounts of data, securely managing data integrations while complying with evolving regulations is an even more daunting challenge.

Or, as Robert Plant put it, "Communication breakdown, it's always the same / I'm having a nervous breakdown, drive me insane!"

At MEDHOST, we understand how the proliferation of healthcare consumer data is altering the industry's provision of care. In response, we have designed innovative data integration solutions that empower our community hospital partners to streamline their processes and enhance the quality of care they provide.

So, let's take a note from Led Zeppelin and prioritize data integration solutions to prevent "nervous breakdowns" and ensure patients receive the best care possible.

The Rising Demand for Data Integration Services

The concept of seamless data integration services is not new, but the healthcare sector's data volume has grown considerably. Research from the International Data Corporation (IDC) in 2018 revealed that healthcare data is growing significantly faster than other industries.

This highlights a significant issue faced by community providers: exchanging massive amounts of data from multiple, usually diverse, sources and formats.

To address these challenges and achieve the financial and operational benefits of data integration, hospitals and healthcare organizations should contemplate outsourcing this workload to a team of experts.

Seven Advantages of MEDHOST Integration Management

An integration management solution can significantly transform any healthcare enterprise, and the anticipated benefits can translate into smoother daily operations. Whether it's managing system data integrations or ensuring data integrity during transit between systems, MEDHOST's integration management solution can:

MEDHOST Managed Integration Services (MMIS) is a comprehensive integration engine and management solution for securely and efficiently communicating electronic data between your EHR, clinics, state registries, health information exchanges, Point of Care (POC) devices, and third-party vendors.

To learn how MEDHOST Managed Integration Services can assist your community hospital in saving resources and costs while enhancing population health in a value-based healthcare ecosystem, please contact us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278.

In more ways than one, Nashville is a healthcare city masquerading as a mecca for country music fans. Rural themes, woven together with a penchant sound, define the songs that put Broadway on the map; but beyond the honky-tonks, some of the biggest names in medicine work day in and day out at the epicenter of a growing national health crisis: rural hospital closures.

According to a recent Becker's Healthcare Review that identified 220 rural hospitals at risk of closure, Tennessee—home to MEDHOST HQ—is at the top of the list. Despite serving as the country's nerve center for health system innovation, our state is projected to have as many as 44% of its rural hospitals shut their doors.

Representing approximately 10% of the US healthcare infrastructure, these facilities provide needed care for rural communities and serve as a bulwark for hometown economies. The ripple effect of rural hospital closures can impact every aspect of the populations they support, many of which already contend with poorer health outcomes and lower incomes than urban areas.

Why are rural hospitals closing in the US?

According to the American Hospital Association, a lack of skilled workers, staff, and nurses is among the primary factors behind rural hospital closures. Without the ability to fill critical roles, these facilities often lack the expertise or resources to provide necessary healthcare services, negotiate contracts, process claims, and optimize operations, resulting in a constant struggle to maintain patient satisfaction and an adequate flow of revenue.

Why Traditional Outsourcing Has Struggled to Solve Staffing Shortages at Rural Hospitals

While outsourcing operations may seem like an obvious answer to staffing shortages, it presents a unique host of problems for the close-knit community at rural hospitals. Many staff and clinicians at these facilities have lived in the area their entire lives. Some were born down the hall from where they now work. The value they bring, and preserving their place within that care continuum, can become complicated when a third party becomes involved.

What's worse, most traditional outsourced revenue cycle management has proven to be a disappointment for hospital leaders. From higher claim denial rates to longer patient collection cycles, many third-party vendors promising improved financial performance have left their customers underwhelmed and in the lurch.

Fortunately, not all revenue cycle governance is created equal. As unique and innovative approaches to revenue cycle management emerge to contend with this ongoing crisis, rural providers have access to new avenues of financially beneficial collaboration.

How Innovative Partnerships Are Overcoming Rural Staffing Shortages

Rural providers don't need to choose between outsourcing and in-house staffing. Business partners should share in the risk and resources to ensure positive outcomes. A hybrid model, which combines outsourced expertise, and preserves in-house assets, is the key to solving rural staffing shortfalls while preserving the essential character of these providers.

Integrating people, processes, and tools in one or more areas of revenue cycle, IT, and cybersecurity, rather than replacing staff, helps protect and improve the investments of rural health providers. Through measured and managed alignment, communication, and transparency, the collaborative teams of hospitals and providers can reduce operating costs and improve short- and long-term financial outcomes.

About MEDTEAM Services

MEDTEAM Services are part of MEDHOST and provide a wide range of services designed to improve cash flow and alleviate the burden of maintaining subject matter experts (SMEs), systems, and technology.

We specialize in claims management, focusing on claims submission, account receivables (A/R) management, and insurance reimbursement. We also offer contract management services, which include payor reimbursement variance analysis and recovery, the processing of patient statements and letters, online bill payment services, and custom reporting.

To find out how MEDTEAM is helping rural hospitals and healthcare facilities overcome workforce shortages while preserving their community of care, email us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278.

The storm came on suddenly and without warning.

It lashed the broad, slate-gray waters of Mille Lacs Lake with stinging rain. The chartered fishing boat pitched side to side while we clung to coolers and rented tackle, huddled beneath awnings, and pulled collars over our heads. There was little we could do but look at one another and laugh.

We were out boating on the rural Minnesota lake as part of a visit with one of our partner hospitals— Mille Lacs Health System (MLHS) —celebrating their recent initiative, “Next Chapter: Building Our Healthy Future.” A massive undertaking, the project involved a 42,000 sq ft. addition and 10,000 sq ft. refurbishment to provide better inpatient rooms, a new emergency department, kitchen, cafeteria, lobby, same-day surgery, lab, sleep center, and more.

But a trip started in high spirits had now taken a turn for the worse.

Seeing our misgivings, the fishing guide, sipping a coffee from the doorway of his small pilot’s cabin, assured us: “It’ll pass soon.”

Almost as soon as he'd uttered these words, the howling wind died, the clouds broke, and the lake again turned a dazzling gold in the evening sun.

A feature of Mille Lacs's climate, squalls—fast and blistering storms—race across its shallow, 207 square-mile surface, catching unwary sailors in a sudden deluge of epic proportions. Those who attempt to stay ahead of the gale, or make harbor, often find themselves caught in the rain and waves indefinitely. Experienced fishermen know that it’s best to turn the bow into the oncoming storm and reach calmer waters that much sooner.

Forecasting for Rural Health Challenges

Rural hospitals today face hiring and retention issues, employees aging into retirement, remote locations, patient outmigration, and outdated technology.

While it’s not easy to outpace these problems, there are solutions available right now: patient-centered technology, innovative partnerships, and forward-thinking actions by hospital leadership willing to steer into the headwinds.

Our most recent testimonial highlights how, through a collaborative partnership with MEDHOST, MLHS has consistently provided exceptional care to the people of Mille Lacs County and the surrounding area, despite undergoing rapid change and contending with the ongoing challenges faced by many rural providers.

Watch the full story here.

About Mille Lacs Health System (MLHS)

After breaking ground in 1956, MLHS began as a community-owned, non-profit hospital with two satellite clinics. In the last 40 years, it has expanded into an organization of five clinics, a nursing home, ambulatory emergency care center, homecare and hospice serving a 60-mile area comprised of almost 25,000 central Minnesotans.

About MEDHOST

We offer cloud-based clinical and financial solutions and engagement platforms that enable rural hospitals to enhance care, streamline facility management, and maximize patient volumes and profitability along with clinical and financial services that fit any budget. We also drive initiatives like chronic condition management, access to health and wellness content, and community engagement.

To learn more about how MEDHOST can partner with your facility to help weather the storm, please get in touch with us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278.

Mille Lacs Health System (MLHS), a community-owned, not-for-profit healthcare organization, is situated approximately 80 miles north of the Twin Cities in central Minnesota. It serves a predominately rural population within Mille Lacs and surrounding counties, as well as residents of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

The hospital is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion, including better inpatient rooms, a new emergency department, kitchen, cafeteria, lobby, same-day surgery, lab, sleep center, and more.

By integrating HIT systems through a collaborative partnership with MEDHOST, MLHS has consistently provided exceptional care to the people of Mille Lacs County and the surrounding area, despite undergoing rapid change.

The one constant we've been privileged to observe during our over 35 years in healthcare IT is the remarkable passion, commitment, and self-sacrifice of the doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers who staff this country's rural hospitals.

On numerous occasions, and especially during the pandemic, we have watched them perform the most remarkable feats of service, often with only a fraction of the resources available to other health systems.

This culture of responsibility and community was never more evident than at Lakeland Community Hospital. As National Rural Health Day approaches, we'd like to use this post to tell the story of that culture and of the men and women who, throughout the potential closure of their town's historic hospital, worked through the holidays with the single-minded purpose of saving their patients, colleagues, and neighbors.

We'd also like to take some of the insights we've collected from partner hospitals like Lakeland, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), as well as other healthcare organizations invested in improving the healthcare outlook for rural populations and present them as a consolidated strategy for rural providers, many of whom are contending with similar challenges.

A 911 Healthcare Crisis: Lakeland Community Hospital

When the employees of Lakeland Community Hospital heard that their facility would be closing in November of 2017, they were devastated.

The news came in early fall. During a somber meeting in the hospital's conference room, Lakeland's leadership announced that, like so many other rural providers across the country, shifting payment models and constantly evolving legislation had taken too great a toll on the hospital's bottom line.

"Tears just started rolling down my face. I was in shock," recalled Megan Welborn, Lakeland's Director of Imaging Services. "The first thing you think about . . . my family, my job . . . what are we going to do? What's the community going to do? It was just a shock."

The "Home of 911," Lakeland's closure would represent a historical loss and leave the small Alabama town of Haleyville without a hospital. The potential crisis this would create quickly galvanized Lakeland's staff, community members, rural health advocates, and local government—many of whom have spent their entire lives in Haleyville.

After hospital leadership had announced the closure, a city council meeting was called. There were more than 120 people in attendance, including state senators, legislators, and federal officials. Amid the din of competing ideas and visions for the future, a solution was born. With amazing buy-in from the citizens of Haleyville, it was decided that a one percent sales tax increase would finance the hospital and sustain its growth.

In the next two weeks, the people of Haleyville created a plan to keep the hospital open. Along with the sales tax increase, the plan also required an expansion of services, compromises with vendors as well as surrounding area hospitals, and, most importantly, a tremendous commitment from the staff.

In an unprecedented display of comradery, every hospital that had extended a job offer to Lakeland employees agreed to hold those offers for 30-days with no extra incentives.

MEDHOST pitched in by offering to take over Lakeland's central business office functions and create a process for fiscal recovery.

Thanks to the unyielding efforts of hospital staff; the community; and rural health advocates, MEDHOST, and other area hospitals, Lakeland Community Hospital remains open and serving the citizen of Haleyville to this day.

Read the complete story here.

The Problem Facing Rural Hospitals

This story isn't isolated to Lakeland. Hospitals in rural communities across the country are struggling to keep pace with changes in healthcare.

Constantly evolving legislation and shifting payment models are among rural health's top barriers. While many of the innovations propelling healthcare ahead originated in rural areas—such as dialing 9-1-1—those same facilities are now closing at alarming rates.

“Hospital closures are a crisis not just for healthcare, but for the overall well-being of the community in terms of economic impact,” summarized Beth O’Connor, NRHA president, speaking during a recent interview with Ken Misch, President of MEDHOST.

The battle to guarantee simple access to healthcare in rural America has been ongoing for over a decade. A large part of that fight centers around effectively linking clinical systems to an increasingly complex financial workflow.

According to The Chartis Group, 47 percent of the country's rural hospitals are losing money. More than ever, these providers require assistance and direction in maximizing care delivery and operations while minimizing expenses.

A Strategy Guide for Keeping the Doors Open

Streamlining the revenue cycle to meet the demands of today's business environment can be a daunting task. Regulations, inflation, rapidly evolving markets and stubborn workforce challenges only complicate attempts to improve business operations. But by teaming up with a dedicated revenue cycle management partner, your business office can access the tools and expertise needed to fix leaks and get revenue flowing again.

For years, MEDHOST has provided products and services to healthcare facilities of all types and sizes. Today, hospitals nationwide partner with MEDHOST to enhance patient care and operational excellence with our clinical and financial solutions.

Read our strategy guide for rural hospitals here.

Please contact us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278 to learn more about the numerous ways MEDHOST helps address difficulties in both rural and community hospital settings.

Earlier this month, Ken Misch, president of MEDHOST, had the opportunity to interview Beth O’Connor, executive director of the Virginia Rural Health Association and president of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

In this two-part series, Ken and Beth discuss the developing nature of rural healthcare, some of its most pressing challenges, and how MEDHOST collaborates with rural health systems to continue serving their needs.

The first section of this article emphasized the challenges of connectivity, population health management, and the impact of COVID-19. In this section, Ken and Beth delve into the social determinants of health, interoperability, and the ongoing crisis of rural hospital closures.

Ken: There is a general belief that the social determinants of health present even more challenges for rural populations. Is the NRHA aware of any community organizations trying to address these challenges, and if so, what best practices can rural providers adopt?

Beth: The buzzword is changing.

If you take a look at the term “social determinants of health,” it makes it sound like the outcome is predetermined. Why would we spend time and resources on a population when we already know the outcome?

Instead, we’ve started talking about the “social drivers” of health. Indicators such as poverty, education, and race may drive health outcomes in a certain direction, but we can still do a course correction. Addressing these social drivers is absolutely essential for communities to make progress. Any hospital that wants to address social drivers of health needs to conduct a community health needs assessment that includes questions about those influences and how they should be addressed.

Most grant applications for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy require that these social drivers be taken into consideration.

Ken: What is your advice for rural health hospital leaders to achieve success?

Beth: I would encourage hospital leaders to take advantage of the tools and resources the National Rural Health Association offers.

At the very least, sign up to receive announcements from NRHA, so you can stay on top of regulations and updates, and what's going on in Congress that could impact your local facilities. No one has time to do all that themselves. Let NRHA do it for you. Then, attend the NRHA rural hospital innovation summit in San Diego next May. This is an opportunity to hear about best practices and talk to your peers about what's working on the ground, and what's not. It's a great opportunity to connect with others that are dealing with the same issue you are and see what new ideas pop out.

When you’re ready to dig deeper, check out NRHA rural hospital CEO certification program. It arms rural CEOs with the competencies and skillsets to take on the unique challenges of rural hospitals and continue to be a top-performing CEO.

Ken: One of the buzzwords we tech geeks have lived with for a while, especially in the provider environment, is the word “interoperability,” which basically means that systems need to talk to each other. What challenges does rural health face in achieving true interoperability?

Beth: Software challenges apply to everyone. For rural areas, the issues are a lack of internet access and digital literacy.

I remember a few years ago, the Virginia Secretary of Technology had asked me to send out a survey to rural clinics about broadband access. I was annoyed because the request was to send it specifically to rural health clinic IT Directors.

There isn't a single rural health clinic in Virginia with its own IT director. If they are part of a larger healthcare system, the IT director is based out of the hub facility and only visits the clinic when necessary.

If we’re talking about an independent facility, the person who installed the server is likely the office manager's nephew, who visited over Thanksgiving. The smaller entities just don't have the capacity to keep up with many of the digital changes we are seeing.

Ken: Healthcare IT companies like MEDHOST partner very closely with rural providers and we’ve become an integral part of that infrastructure. Can you elaborate on how you see the role of healthcare IT companies changing in the future?

Beth: I see that role continuing to expand. Increasingly, rural entities are outsourcing tasks to control costs while maintaining quality. I think the line between healthcare providers and IT providers will become invisible.

Ken: We have been seeing that, certainly. Our clients ask us to do more and more for them because they lack the time or the resources, and we can often do it more effectively at a lower cost.

We’ve talked a little bit about the regulatory environment. What are some of the critical policies that have or will affect rural health in the future?

Beth: The regulatory changes implemented during the early days of COVID, such as those that facilitated telehealth, must stay in place. I encourage everyone to contact their members of Congress and demand that those changes become permanent.

Ken: According to some 2020 numbers, rural hospital closures are at a crisis level. Over 135 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and more than 450 have been identified as vulnerable based on performance levels.

What are some ways we can see these numbers go down or reverse this trend?

Beth: Hospital closures are a crisis not just for healthcare, but for the overall well-being of the community in terms of the economic impact.

So, there are a few things we can do:

First, we absolutely must extend the Medicare-dependent hospital and low-volume hospital designations. Those are set to expire on September 30, 2022. Currently, there are 139 Medicare-dependent hospitals and 535 low-volume hospitals that are an integral part of this nation’s healthcare safety net. These designations allow hospitals to receive additional Medicare payments that help them stay open to continue to serve the community. It's time for Congress to make those designations permanent.

And when you call your members of Congress to tell them to make the telehealth regulations permanent, make sure to also ask for their support of the Rural Hospital Act to avoid a potential lapse of these lifeline programs

Second, it’s important to permanently eliminate Medicare sequestration for these hospitals. The Medicare cuts are relatively minor for urban facilities, but a 1-2% reduction in reimbursement can make the difference between staying open or closed for rural hospitals.

Ken: What is your vision for the future of rural healthcare IT?

Beth: I’m going to touch back on interoperability, here.

I would love to see a seamless interface between physicians and coders and insurance processes, all of them able to access the information they need without having to check multiple sets of software.

Ken: That is certainly the goal and the vision I think for all of us IT companies that serve rural healthcare customers. We believe interoperability is good for efficiency, clinical care, and the financial well-being of companies in the long term.

The interview concluded with Beth O’Connor reiterating the importance of rural providers getting involved in self-advocacy and staying informed about ongoing Congressional legislation that affects their operation.

To hear more of Beth’s insights on rural health advocacy, check out her contribution to Misinformation, and Making Do: Appalachian Health-Care Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic, an upcoming collection from Ohio University Press.

As a partner of the NRHA, MEDHOST is pleased to contribute to the sustainability of healthcare in rural America. Please contact us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278 to learn more about the numerous ways MEDHOST helps address difficulties in both rural and community hospital settings.