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Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and COO, moderated a panel discussion with Chris Hasse, chief administrative officer, Mayo Clinic Health System, and Julie Yaroch, D.O., president, Promedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital in Adrian, Mich., about the future of rural hospitals and health care. The wide-ranging discussion largely focused on the importance of rural health care, technology and community collaboration.

Hasse gave the example of a premature baby born at 23 weeks in a rural clinic unused to handling such a premature birth. Because of their eNICU program, a NICU specialist was remotely guiding the team through the delivery while a helicopter was en route to transport mom and baby to a larger facility. “Each year we celebrate [the baby girl’s] birthday at the clinic,” he said. “Digital technology can help us reach patients.”

That said, Hasse warned against becoming too dependent on technology and telehealth, “We need to ask what is the problem that we’re trying to solve and really take an evidence-based approach.”

Yaroch spoke about how collaborations with community partners improve relationships with patients and potential patients, whether it be addressing health concerns, food insecurity or other issues. “Collaborations show that we care beyond making a diagnosis and treatment,” she said.

Yaroch also spoke about how to effectively reach out to state and local governments. “They need to hear our story,” she said. “We need to share examples of experiences about how [Medicare and Medicaid] dollars are used to keep facilities open; how they’re used to touch patients’ lives.” 

In his introductory comments, Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist and chair-elect of the AHA Board of Trustees, told attendees that this was a unique time for rural hospitals and health care systems. 

“Never waste a watershed moment,” he said. “Take those obstacles and turn them into your strengths.”