007. Neighbors Caring for Neighbors: Rural Healthcare with Michael Topchik

The National Rural Health Association is hosting the Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Clinic conferences in a few weeks, from September 26-29. Our colleagues from both Jarrard and Chartis will be there, digging into the issues facing rural providers today. They’ll also be providing resources, research and education to rural healthcare leaders – content that will extend well beyond the conferences. With all of that coming up, we wanted to lay the groundwork by taking a broad look at the challenges facing rural healthcare today through the eyes of two people who spend their time studying and working with rural providers. Letitia Fecher is a Vice President at Jarrard and our Public and Community Health System Practice Lead. Michael Topchik is the National Leader of the Chartis Center for Rural Health. They’re also spearheading the presentations at NRHA. In this conversation, Fecher and Topchik look at: ·      Regulation and policy ·      Workforce issues ·      Community engagement during operational change Key Points ·      Quality is job number one. But it’s not just quality as defined by ratings organizations or regulatory agencies. It’s the quality patients feel when they receive care at a hospital, and how employees feel when they come to work every day. ·      Communication with the community must be ongoing. A rural hospital’s first message to its community should not be announcing a service line closure. Instead, rural healthcare leaders need to be regularly talking about the ways delivery of care are shifting and ways the hospital is changing to meet the community’s needs. Nurse and staff engagement are vital. Retention is a major challenge for all provider organizations, with rural hospitals feeling especially pinched over the past few years. It’s critical to find out what caregivers are looking for even when increased compensation may not be an option. Invest in relatively simple things – better engagement with leadership, more two-way communication, focusing on the mission, offering career d