Keynote: Building the Rural Workforce of the Future

Rural healthcare’s greatest challenge is no longer just reimbursement — it is people. In communities across the country, hospitals are competing for physicians, nurses, and clinical leaders in an increasingly constrained workforce environment. Yet some rural systems are not only recruiting successfully — they are redefining what workforce strategy can look like.

In this keynote session, rural healthcare leader Benjamin Anderson, MBA, MPH, CEO of Hutchinson Regional Health System in Kansas, shares a bold and practical blueprint for recruiting, retaining, and rooting providers in the communities they serve. Drawing from real-world experience, he will explore how innovative workforce strategies, from housing initiatives and community-backed down payment programs to tailored benefits and intentional cultural integration, can transform recruitment from a transaction into a long-term investment in community health.

This session reframes workforce development not as a staffing problem, but as a community strategy. Attendees will leave inspired by what is possible when rural hospitals leverage creativity, local partnerships, and mission-driven leadership to build stable, engaged, and sustainable clinical teams.

At the end of this keynote, participants will be able to:

  • Identify innovative, community-centered strategies for provider and workforce recruitment
  • Reimagine recruitment as long-term community integration rather than short-term placement
  • Evaluate creative benefit structures and housing initiatives that improve retention
  • Strengthen alignment between workforce development and broader community engagement efforts
Download Presentation

Q&A

How do people stay on top of all the payer newsletters to sort through everything to pull out applicable information for the facility/provider? Who typically is going through the newsletter to gather the information to share with other staff?

Our billing specialists are organized by payer, allowing them to develop deep expertise in their respective areas. Each specialist subscribes to their payer’s newsletters to stay informed about updates and changes. Additionally, our team leads, Supervisor, and Director of Patient Accounts—along with the Prior Authorization Team—collaborate to share key insights and ensure the entire team stays up to date. This collective approach enhances our ability to navigate payer policies efficiently and provide the best possible service. 

What leadership structure do you have in place for your revenue cycle and who or what do you use for training when billers or coders need it? Especially for new service lines or common denials?

Our billing specialists are supported by a structured leadership team, including two team leads, one Supervisor, and one Director. Training for billing specialists is conducted by our Supervisor and team leads to ensure consistency and expertise. Additionally, billing specialists meet weekly with leadership to review denials and identify payer-specific trends. For new coders, who are required to be certified, training is led by our Coding Lead to maintain high standards of accuracy and compliance.

Are the billers assigned based on an alphabetical split or by insurance type, such as Medicare and Medicaid specialists?

Billers are first assigned by insurance type and then further divided by alphabetical split. Since each insurance type has multiple billers, the alpha split helps distribute the workload efficiently.

Since we have union employees, how could we implement a similar incentive to Kindal’s while ensuring compliance with union regulations?

This would depend on the specifics of your union contract. Stroudwater can work with you to review the contract and develop a compliant incentive model.

Does your Coding/HIM department manage CPT coding, modifiers, and ICD-10, or do they focus solely on ICD-10?

Our Coding team handles all aspects of coding, including CPT, modifiers, and ICD-10. They thoroughly review all provider documentation to ensure accuracy and compliance.