The MHA Small or Rural Hospital Council convened its first meeting of the 2025–26 program year, chaired by Ross Ramsey, MD, CEO, Scheurer Health. The meeting focused on the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), state and federal budget updates, cybersecurity preparedness and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support rural hospitals.
Lauren LaPine-Ray, vice president, policy & rural health, MHA, began the meeting with a presentation on the RHTP, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The RHTP is a $50 billion fund that was created in the act to support rural hospitals and transform the delivery of care. The MHA’s RHTP Taskforce developed and submitted recommendations to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) for consideration as part of the state’s RHTP application due Nov. 5. It is not guaranteed that MDHHS will adopt these recommendations, but they reflect the top priorities identified by rural hospital leaders.
Laura Appel, executive vice president, government relations & public policy, MHA, provided federal and state budget updates, outlining efforts to mitigate forthcoming Medicaid and ACA marketplace cuts, and protect critical hospital funding.
Angela McConnachie, CO-CEO, Aspire Rural Health System, shared lessons from a recent ransomware attack, emphasizing the need for multi-factor authentication, data protection and staff phishing education. To support members, the MHA announced a cybersecurity grant in partnership with CyberForce|Q, offering peer-learning sessions, HIPAA compliance guidance and vendor risk management tools.
Homeward Health presented on AI-based tools designed to automate insurance denial appeals, support patient outreach through predictive analytics and support revenue cycle work at rural hospitals. Homeward Health also highlighted their ARPA-H funding award to deploy AI-powered mobile units in rural areas to expand care access in underserved and maternity care–desert regions.
For more information on the MHA Small or Rural Hospital Council, members may contact Lauren LaPine-Ray at the MHA.