Rural Health Workshop Day 1: Tuesday, June 11

• Dr. Ralph Abraham, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health
• Pete Croughan, M.D., Deputy Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health
• Denaé Hebert, MBA, Executive Director, Louisiana Rural Health Association
• Nicole Coarsey, MPA, Louisiana State Rural Health Officer, Well-Ahead Louisiana

Opening comments and welcome from Well-Ahead Louisiana and Louisiana Rural Health Association.

• Sarah Hohman, MPH, CRHCP, Director of Government Affairs, National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC)

• Laura Wilson, J2 Strategic Solutions

This session will provide attendees with an understanding of grant strategy, why the process of strategizing is important, and what assets/topics should be considered when creating a strategy/plan. This session will be interactive in that attendees will be given information, resources, and guidance throughout the the session and can being formulating a grant strategy individual to the participant’s organizational/programmatic needs.

• Jay Sage, Workforce Solutions

Ensuring access to quality healthcare in rural areas presents unique challenges including the recruitment and retention of skilled healthcare professionals. This speaking engagement will explore innovative strategies and transformative approaches to attract and retain the right people for rural health systems while leveraging technology and workforce solutions to promote cost savings and employee retention.

• Steve Simmerman, VP Clinical Division, The Compliance Team

This talk will teach clinics how to do self surveys to stay in compliance with all regulations.  Listeners will learn what to look for to always be survey ready.  Will talk about tricks to make it easier to stay organized.

• Amy Graham, Stroudwater Associates

This session will share how a New York physician practice received designation to become a Provider-Based Rural Health Clinic (RHC) under a rural hospital, and after several starts and stops related to RHC billing, was able to successfully bill and collect payment for services provided as a Rural Health Clinic. 

• Aetna Better Health
• United Healthcare Community Plan
• Louisiana Healthcare Connections
• AmeriHealth Caritas
• HealthyBlue
• Humana Healthy Horizons

• Steve Simmerman, VP Clinical Division, The Compliance Team

This talk will teach clinics how to do self surveys to stay in compliance with all regulations.  Listeners will learn what to look for to always be survey ready.  Will talk about tricks to make it easier to stay organized.

• Jeffrey Sommer, MPP, Stroudwater Associate
• Clare Kelley, MPH, Stroudwater Associate

Participants will receive a comprehensive framework for understanding partnerships and their relevance in today’s rural healthcare landscape. The session will delve into alternative partnership structures and emerging partnership models. The presentation will include real-world case studies, offering tangible examples of how the value of rural health systems can be measured and sustained, whether by remaining independent or through strategic partnerships tailored to specific organizational circumstances. Importantly, these case studies will include lessons relevant to improving and refining existing partnerships as well as crafting new partnerships. A crucial aspect of this presentation involves an examination of stand-alone strategic and operating risks for rural health systems, along with tools to identify and mitigate inherent partner risks associated with any collaboration. By exploring these case studies, participants will gain valuable insights into the essential attributes of successful partnerships, approaches for improving existing partnerships and the inherent risks associated with such collaborations.

• Scott Brouillette MSN, RN, CCRN, NI-BC, Gulf South Analytics

• Zil Joyce Dixon Romero, State Government Affairs Manager, National Rural Health Association (NRHA)

• Denaé Hebert, MBA, Executive Director, Louisiana Rural Health Association
• Nicole Coarsey, MPA, Rural Health State Officer, Well-Ahead Louisiana

Closing comments from Well-Ahead Louisiana and Louisiana Rural Health Association