Healthcare facilities in Kansas and North Dakota and national organizations discuss the challenges of recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in rural areas and share solutions, including partnering with local schools and businesses as well as other healthcare facilities.
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The healthcare delivery model known as the swing bed program has allowed rural and Critical Access Hospitals to serve patients by keeping them in their rural communities for post-acute care. Reviewing the history of this program, experts describe early implementation and key program elements that have sustained its success for over 40 years.
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Advance care planning — planning for decision-making in times of medical crisis — has always been intended for all people, all ages, with or without a chronic disease. Clinicians talk about the challenges of these conversations now that COVID-19 has nudged planning from the realm of the theoretical future to current reality.
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Over 40% of today’s physicians are burned out. A closer look at research indicates that not only is this a system problem rather than an individual problem, but that burnout impacts a system’s revenue streams, healthcare quality, and patient safety and satisfaction. Experts suggest the problem may even be of more concern in rural areas.
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Age and health status shouldn’t be barriers to advance care planning. Advocates share that proactive discussions now can impact the ease of future decision-making about personal healthcare needs.
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The benefits of palliative care are described as “the heart of healthcare.” Experts and advocates share the importance of scaling this care to rural outpatients with serious illness and chronic medical conditions.
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Moving the conversation away from finances, advocates share why general surgery plays an important role in a comprehensive rural population health strategy by delivering the right care in the right place at the right time.
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Benjamin Anderson, CEO of a 25-bed CAH in Kansas, discloses his relational style of healthcare leadership and his success attracting committed medical providers and engaging the area’s growing refugee population.
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An update on Kansas and Illinois housing organizations previously featured in the Rural Monitor. These programs address housing needs for special populations including veterans, the elderly, and the homeless.
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