Kansas is among the states early out of the gates with its grant funding made out there via the federal Rural Well being Transformation Program. The Kansas Division of Well being and Surroundings has already awarded practically $80 million to 39 organizations throughout the state to strengthen entry to care in rural elements of the state.
For instance of the kind of challenge being funded, one of many 2026 Rural Emergency Hospital Conversion and Transformative Capital Funding Program (REH/CAP) awardees obtained $5 million. A partnership between Nice Plains Well being Alliance (GPHA) and Pioneer Well being Community (PHN) will deploy Avel eCare telemedicine providers to 31 rural Kansas hospitals throughout all six Kansas Hospital Affiliation areas, offering inpatient, emergency and psychiatric tele-coverage to stabilize rural hospital medical and monetary sustainability.
GPHA is a member-driven community of hospitals and healthcare organizations dedicated to strengthening rural healthcare throughout the area. PHN is a collaborative community of unbiased hospitals working collectively to enhance entry, improve operational efficiencies, and advance care supply throughout rural communities.
By means of this partnership, GPHA and PHN stated they’re main a coordinated, network-based strategy, with Avel eCare serving as a medical and operational companion in delivering digital care capabilities. Telemedicine will play a central function in enhancing care supply throughout emergency, inpatient, and behavioral well being settings whereas guaranteeing sufferers can proceed to obtain care near dwelling.
“The Rural Partnership Grant Program offered a singular alternative for Pioneer Well being Community and Nice Plains Well being Alliance to hitch forces in increasing emergency, behavioral well being, and hospitalist telehealth providers to extra of our member hospitals via our present companion, Avel eCare,” stated Dee Dee Dewell, government director of Pioneer Well being Community, in an announcement. “Given our long-standing presence and shared member hospitals, this can be a sturdy demonstration of collaboration to rework care
supply and strengthen medical assets throughout 31 Essential Entry Hospitals in Kansas. This will likely be a significant win for the communities we serve.”
Listed here are a couple of different examples of the work being funded in Kansas:
• Restoration Limitless KS will create a technology-enabled substance use dysfunction therapy mannequin linking neighborhood supervision, main care and specialised therapy via Skyscape telehealth platform, establishing medical detox facilities in south-central and western Kansas.
• In partnership with the College of Kansas Most cancers Middle, Citizen’s Basis will set up a digital tele-oncology program for 9 northwestern rural Kansas counties and fund facility renovation, main diagnostic gear (MRI, mammography, DEXA, ultrasound), and a Remodeling Most cancers Care medical group.
• Stormont Vail HealthCare proposes PrairieLINK, a regional clinically built-in community and shared providers infrastructure to strengthen rural hospital sustainability throughout northeastern and central Kansas via efficiency benchmarking, care coordination and value-based care alignment.
• Youngsters’s Mercy Hospital, in partnership with the Group Well being Middle of Southeast Kansas, KUMC Nice Bend and Logan County Well being Companies, will implement the Rural Pediatric Persistent Care Community. This challenge will use AI-driven threat identification, Epic-integrated care coordination and telemedicine co-management to assist kids in rural communities with bronchial asthma, epilepsy, sleep apnea and kind 1 diabetes.
Kansas is also getting ready to launch a Group Well being Employee + Accountable Meals is Medication Program (CHW + AFIM) program in addition to an Proof-Based mostly Program, which can assist rural hospitals and clinics construct and preserve the infrastructure to implement and maintain evidence-based practices and report on efficiency measures that display high quality of care. The state has contracted with the College of Kansas Well being System Care Collaborative to function this system.
