Where Vision Meets Reality: Unlock the Secrets to Transforming Rural Healthcare Facilities

Stroudwater Capital Partners CEO Brian Haapala and Rio Grande Hospital and Wellness Center CEO Arlene Harms present a comprehensive guide to transforming rural healthcare facilities, drawing from extensive experience with various financing methods. Through personal anecdotes and practical examples, the presentation explores how successful transformations begin with compelling visions while addressing critical challenges such as limited resources and regulatory hurdles.

The session emphasizes the crucial role of strategic partnerships and community engagement in overcoming obstacles, demonstrating how seemingly insurmountable challenges can be transformed into opportunities for growth and innovation.

Key learnings include:

  1. Inspire Change Through Visionary Leadership: Discover how a bold, purpose-driven vision can mobilize teams, energize communities, and ignite transformational change in rural healthcare.
  2. Obstacles into Opportunities with Creative Financing and Strategic Alliances: Explore how innovative funding models and mission-aligned partnerships can unlock new possibilities, even in the most resource-challenged environments.
  3. Lead with Resilience to Create Lasting Impact: Learn how to navigate regulatory complexity and operational hurdles with confidence, transforming challenges into stepping stones toward sustainable, patient-centered care.
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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.