Member Feature: MI-Connect

For this feature, we interviewed Susan Kaderle, Executive Director of MI-Connect, who recently rejoined NCHN. MI-Connect is a collaborative resource partnership to expand access to high quality healthcare services for the at-risk residents of Northern Michigan. It has 5 members and its programs include Physician and Mid-Level Recruitment and Retention, Mental/Dental Integration, Rural Health Outreach, and Community Health Worker focus. MI-Connect is one of the recipients of the recently announced Network Development grants, so we were excited to ask a few questions about their funded project.

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7 Network Members Receive ORHP Network Development grant

After much anticipation, ORHP has announced the recipients of the Rural Health Network Development grant. Congratulations to the members who have receivied funding. They are listed below, along with excerpts from their abstracts.

Indiana Statewide Rural Health Network (Deena Dodd, IN): The purpose of the grant is to support an initiative that will strengthen the rural healthcare system in Indiana and achieve the triple aim of better health, better health care, and lower costs. The initiative will train and deploy teams of specialized health coaches equipped with evidence-based remote patient monitoring technology in rural primary care settings, focusing on the two most prevalent and costly chronic diseases among adults in rural Indiana: diabetes and congestive heart failure (CHF). READ MORE

Louisiana Rural Ambulance Alliance (Donna Newchurch, LA): description forthcoming

MI-Connect (Susan Kaderle, MI): The purpose of the proposed project will be two-fold; the expansion of a currently established integrated behavioral health program into the Northwest Lower and Southern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the establishment of a school-based oral health program throughout the entire 13 county Network region.

Northcentral Montana Healthcare Alliance (Jack King, MT): Our overarching goal is to safely and effectively transition rural and frontier patients with complex health care needs across multiple care settings through a sustainable model that addresses the complexities and challenges of the rural environment in north central Montana.

Palmetto Care Connections (Kathy Schwarting, SC): Through this project, PCC will strengthen the existing network by increasing active collaboration in telehealth services by members and through the implementation of a tele-endocrinology pilot project that will include home monitoring of diabetic patients and specialty tele-consults. The project will help to overcome limitations caused by the lack of provider workforce, barriers to care, and limited access to care in the rural counties served

Santa Cruz Adolescent Wellness Network (Cassalyn David, AZ): The mission of the AWN is to promote adolescent wellness through advocacy, education and collaboration with schools and community organizations serving youth ages 12-25. The seven existing private and public partners will be joined by three school districts to work together toward two goals:
Goal 1: integrate and enhance community and school services to address adolescent health disparities.
Goal 2: develop and sustain a system of school-linked health care to improve adolescent access to care and health status.

Upper Midlands Rural Health Network (Tambra Medley, SC): CTI, an evidenced-based program, will address the Triple Aim model of achieving better health and health care at reduced costs through facilitating the availability of diabetes education and coaching at the local level. It will demonstrate measureable improvements in the chronic management of diabetes and to insure a well-coordinated system of healthcare in the region. The primary goals of this grant are: 1) To strengthen the Network and its effectiveness in improving the system of health care in Chester and Fairfield counties; 2) To improve coordination between local providers; 3) To improve the self-management skills of patients with complex diabetes care needs in Chester and Fairfield counties; and 4) To improve access to diabetes education and coaching.

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NCHN Welcomes 4 New Members

Community Care Network of Virginia, Inc. (CCNV)
René Cabral-Daniels, JD, CEO

CCNV's purpose is to provide integrated, network-based services and programs to Virginia's health centers, including a centralized practice management system, help desk and support infrastructure. It is comprised of 26 network members and has programs in Quality Improvement, HIT, EHR Training, Contracting Services, Central Business Office, Center for Data and Informatics, and Credentialing & Enrollment.

René Cabral-Daniels, JD, will be at the conference in St. Louis to present Utilizing the Tactical Skills of Trial Advocacy to Convince Customers of Network Value

Data Services for Healthcare (DaSH)
William Bolt, Ph.D., Executive Director

DaSH assists health care providers and facilities in Frontier, Rural, and Urban underserved areas of Colorado with affordable and sustainable use of Health Information Technology. Comprised of 12 members, its programs include Remotely Hosted EHR and HIS systems, IT back-up and data recovery, EHR project management, Outsourced IT services, Remote Help Desk services, IT security and HIPAA support, and Business Intelligence/Data Acquisition and Analysis.

Look for Dr. Bolt at the 2014 NCHN Annual Educational Conference during his presentation, Transforming the Rural, Frontier and Underserved Healthcare Delivery System through Better Use of Data.

MI-Connect
Susan Kaderle

MI-Connect is a collaborative resource partnership to expand access to high quality healthcare services for the at-risk residents of Northern Michigan. It has 5 members spread across northeast and northwest Michigan. MI-Connect was one of the recipients of the recent round of Network Development grants and had an e-interview with us, which you can view here.

Northeast Kentucky Regional Health Information Organization (NeKY RHIO)
Andrew Bledsoe, Executive Director

NeKY RHIO was organized in 2008. Its mission is to assist healthcare providers and patients with the use of technology and connectivity to improve the health of our communities. NeKY RHIO's programs include Meaningful Use Consultation, Privacy and Security Consultation, Information Technology Support, Health IT Workforce Development and Patient-Centered Medical Home.

2014 NCHN Annual Educational Conference
Featured Session: Care Coordination Opportunities for Health networks

Wednesday, June 18, 2014 | 1:45 - 3:00 PM

with Carolyn Bruce from Western Healthcare Alliance, Tim Cox from Northland Health Alliance, and Pat Schou from Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network

Colorado and Illinois networks will share their recent experiences with the development of care coordination organizations for their hospital memberships. Speakers will discuss reasons why their members asked them to pursue this new care model as an option for primarily independent facilities and its potential for rural facilities to pool resources, maintain local access to health care and ultimately preserve their market share and viability.

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2014 NCHN Annual Educational Conference
June 17-20, 2014 in St.Louis, MO
» Register early - save up to $150
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