The Mississippi Rural Health Association recognized significant individuals and hospitals for dedication to excellence during the Mississippi Rural Health Annual Conference held on November 16-17, 2023 at the Vicksburg Convention Center. Held on National Rural Health Day before an audience of 215 healthcare professionals, these awards are presented to symbolize and recognize the superior work performed by providers, administrators and facilities that makeup Mississippi rural health care system. Awardees are as follows: State Legislator of the Year: Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann Lt. Govern ..read more

The next cohort for the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program is forming now. They are accepting applications from interested facilities now to begin programming in Winter 2023. To learn more about the program and application process, you are invited to attend an informational webinars for hospitals and FQHCs on Tuesday, June 6th from 11am-12pm CST and for RHCs and small clinics on Thursday, June 29th from 11am-12pm CST. The DRCHSD program is a collaboration between FORHP, DRA and the N ..read more

The Federal Communications Commission has recently released a proposed rule and a final rule and order concerning an interim and a proposed rural rate setting methodology for the Rural Health Care (RHC) Program. The final rule and order consists of various interim decisions made that concern how to determine rural rates, capitation on satellite services, and the invoicing process between the RHC’s Telecom and Healthcare Connect Fund Programs. The current rate methods are as follows until a new method can be determined: Method 1: The average of rates that the carrier charges for non-health car ..read more

The guidelines below have just been released by the Mississippi State Department of Health regarding the process of investigating and seeking approval for conversion to a Rural Emergency Hospital model. Process: Notification:  Notify the MSDH Office of Licensure of the intent to convert to a REH on facility letterhead.    Please send notice of intent to:  HFLC-NLTC@msdh.ms.gov Required Documents (The following documents must  be included with CMS Federal Enrollment application [CMS PECOS] and State Licensure application): EXHIBIT Model Attestation  EXHIB ..read more

The Mississippi Rural Health Association is pleased to announce the results of its recent board election. The association enjoyed a very competitive election of highly qualified and experienced candidates for the board. The top two candidates to receive votes were Toby Butler and Shana Lane. Toby Butler is the Managing Partner of the Trilogy Healthcare Solutions LLC, a Partner in Trilogy Revenue Cycle Solutions LLC, and a Partner in Trilogy Care Connect LLC.  Toby is a proven healthcare executive with over 25 years of healthcare financial and operational leadership experience in the publ ..read more

TrueCare has awarded a notice of intent from the Mississippi Division of Medicaid to administer the statewide Mississippi Coordinated Access Network (MississippiCan) and the Mississippi Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) with a proposed go live date of 07-01-2023. Please see the announcement from the state of MS Update on Mississippi Coordinated Care Procurement – Mississippi Division of Medicaid (ms.gov).  Attached is the contract, roster template, HIE form and W9 that we would need to have reviewed, signed and filled out in their entirety. If you have any questions as you go thr ..read more

The Mississippi Rural Health Association recognized significant individuals and hospitals for dedication to excellence during the Mississippi Rural Health Annual Conference held on November 17-18, 2022 in Jackson, MS. Held during Mississippi / National Rural Health Day, these awards are presented to symbolize and recognize the superior work performed by providers, administrators and facilities that makeup Mississippi rural health care system. Awardees are as follows: State Legislator of the Year: Sen. Ben Suber Senator Suber, among many bills, sponsored the Rural Emergency Hospital bill that w ..read more

Rural hospitals are an integral part of our nation’s healthcare infrastructure providing critical services – from primary to long-term care – for nearly 57 million Americans. Recent years have presented countless challenges for rural hospitals. Factors such as rising cost of care, increased competition, lower reimbursement rates, unbalanced payer populations, reduced patient volume, uncompensated care, increasing labor costs and increased regulation have constricted operating margins for rural hospitals. These challenges require hospitals to focus on efficiency to survive. While most savings i ..read more

By: Andrea Casiano, Beverly Banez, Sunitha Dharman, & Trentan Pecorelli University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Instructor: Dr. Ellen Jones Although medical robots made their first appearance about 34 years ago to obtain a biopsy specimen, recent years of research using artificial intelligence and computer technology have led to diversified strategic uses of these robots in healthcare (Gyles, 2019). Today, medical robots are being deployed in surgical suites to assist with surgery, facilitate hospital logistical movements, and improve patient and provider experience. The CoVID expe ..read more

As COVID-19 has shown, good health is not universal. Some communities face challenges that leave them more vulnerable to health risks than other groups. Each year on April 7, the World Health Organization, along with other related organizations, observes World Health Day to raise awareness of global health inequities, such as COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on minority communities. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people of color experience significantly higher rates of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death, with Black and Hispanic people ..read more