Advertisement
JOHNSTON, Iowa, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Over 90 hospital representatives from 46 rural and critical access hospitals across Iowa joined HomeTown Health in Johnston, Iowa
March 13 - 15, 2019 for the 3rd Annual Iowa Rural Hospital Conference, "The HeART of Community: Rural Health Artistry," provided in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health through the SHIP and Flex Grant Programs.
Attendees were able to attend multiple small group and breakout sessions before joining together on the final day. Training included areas such as revenue cycle management benchmarking skills, clinical documentation improvement, partnership between quality and financial improvement, and other small group training sessions focused on the unique needs of rural healthcare facilities and key improvement areas. In addition, 30 participants took part in The Consumer Wellness Advocate and The Professional Coach Advocate train the trainer program to become certified trainers and wellness coaches in their communities.
Rural hospitals serve as a key player in the health of their community, yet some Iowa hospitals are at risk for closure due to financial instability. At the 3rd Annual HomeTown Health Iowa Rural Hospital Conference, rural hospital leaders and other stakeholders came together to discuss the "art" of meeting the needs of rural communities and their patients. In this age of healthcare transformation, rural hospitals face significant challenges which threaten their survival and the stability of the communities they serve. The message of the meeting, shared through training and onsite creative activities, focused on the ability of hospitals in each community to come together to paint a picture of what is coming in the near future and to identify the action items needed in order to remain the heartbeat of their respective communities.
HomeTown Health Grant Director, Jennie Price, noted there "is definitely a 'science' involved in the leadership of rural hospitals; best practices, compliance and proven methods of helping a hospital survive. However, there's also an 'art' component involved. It is critical for our hospital leaders to be creative in solutions and services they offer and to encourage creative solutions from their team members, to ensure they remain the heartbeat of their unique community, and to promote both population health while also keeping an eye on the hospital's financial stability. Coming together allows hospitals to share these ideas with one another and take new ideas back to their hospital and community."
Based on their participation, attendees could earn up to 16 hours of continuing education units from IACET Authorized Provider, HomeTown Health, throughout the three-day event. In addition, hospital attendees had multiple opportunities to network together, discuss best practices, show off their creativity, and meet with vetted business partners who offer services to help with cost saving and service line improvement.
About HomeTown Health HomeTown Health, LLC, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, serves more than 70 hospitals throughout the Southeastern United States and over 80 hospitals in Iowa. HomeTown Health, LLC offers advocacy, education, business partner service indexing, industry conferences, and strategic support to its member hospitals as well as expansive grant-based resources through key partnerships with the Department of Public Health and Department of Community Health in many states. Learn more at http://www.hometownhealthonline.com.
About IDPH, FLEX and SHIP grants The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP) is coordinated through the Health Resources and Services Administration's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). SHIP provides funding to more than 1,600 participating hospitals in 47 participating State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) to help small rural hospitals participate in various Affordable Care Act (ACA) delivery system reforms, such as value-based purchasing programs, accountable care organizations and payment bundling.
"The Flex Program"refers to the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which was created by Congress in 1997. It allows small hospitals to be certified as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and offers grants to States to help implement initiatives to strengthen the rural health care infrastructure. The grant program is administered by the Health Resources Service Administration's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. HRSA is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Public health is a partnership of local public health, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), non-profit organizations, health care providers, policymakers, businesses, and many others working together to promote and protect the health of Iowans. Public health strives to improve the quality of life for all Iowans by assuring access to quality population-based health services related to the following goals: Promoting healthy living; Preventing injuries and violence; Strengthening the health infrastructure; Protecting against environmental hazards; Preventing epidemics and the spread of disease; and Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies.
SOURCE HomeTown Health, LLC
Advertisement
Attendees were able to attend multiple small group and breakout sessions before joining together on the final day. Training included areas such as revenue cycle management benchmarking skills, clinical documentation improvement, partnership between quality and financial improvement, and other small group training sessions focused on the unique needs of rural healthcare facilities and key improvement areas. In addition, 30 participants took part in The Consumer Wellness Advocate and The Professional Coach Advocate train the trainer program to become certified trainers and wellness coaches in their communities.
Rural hospitals serve as a key player in the health of their community, yet some Iowa hospitals are at risk for closure due to financial instability. At the 3rd Annual HomeTown Health Iowa Rural Hospital Conference, rural hospital leaders and other stakeholders came together to discuss the "art" of meeting the needs of rural communities and their patients. In this age of healthcare transformation, rural hospitals face significant challenges which threaten their survival and the stability of the communities they serve. The message of the meeting, shared through training and onsite creative activities, focused on the ability of hospitals in each community to come together to paint a picture of what is coming in the near future and to identify the action items needed in order to remain the heartbeat of their respective communities.
HomeTown Health Grant Director, Jennie Price, noted there "is definitely a 'science' involved in the leadership of rural hospitals; best practices, compliance and proven methods of helping a hospital survive. However, there's also an 'art' component involved. It is critical for our hospital leaders to be creative in solutions and services they offer and to encourage creative solutions from their team members, to ensure they remain the heartbeat of their unique community, and to promote both population health while also keeping an eye on the hospital's financial stability. Coming together allows hospitals to share these ideas with one another and take new ideas back to their hospital and community."
Based on their participation, attendees could earn up to 16 hours of continuing education units from IACET Authorized Provider, HomeTown Health, throughout the three-day event. In addition, hospital attendees had multiple opportunities to network together, discuss best practices, show off their creativity, and meet with vetted business partners who offer services to help with cost saving and service line improvement.
About HomeTown Health HomeTown Health, LLC, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, serves more than 70 hospitals throughout the Southeastern United States and over 80 hospitals in Iowa. HomeTown Health, LLC offers advocacy, education, business partner service indexing, industry conferences, and strategic support to its member hospitals as well as expansive grant-based resources through key partnerships with the Department of Public Health and Department of Community Health in many states. Learn more at http://www.hometownhealthonline.com.
About IDPH, FLEX and SHIP grants The Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program (SHIP) is coordinated through the Health Resources and Services Administration's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). SHIP provides funding to more than 1,600 participating hospitals in 47 participating State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) to help small rural hospitals participate in various Affordable Care Act (ACA) delivery system reforms, such as value-based purchasing programs, accountable care organizations and payment bundling.
"The Flex Program"refers to the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which was created by Congress in 1997. It allows small hospitals to be certified as Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and offers grants to States to help implement initiatives to strengthen the rural health care infrastructure. The grant program is administered by the Health Resources Service Administration's Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. HRSA is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Public health is a partnership of local public health, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), non-profit organizations, health care providers, policymakers, businesses, and many others working together to promote and protect the health of Iowans. Public health strives to improve the quality of life for all Iowans by assuring access to quality population-based health services related to the following goals: Promoting healthy living; Preventing injuries and violence; Strengthening the health infrastructure; Protecting against environmental hazards; Preventing epidemics and the spread of disease; and Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies.
SOURCE HomeTown Health, LLC
