Instead of selling, some rural hospitals gathered together to survive

Boomman, ND- Retta Jacobi went up to a metal platform it uploaded to an entrance on a semi-semi-specially designed side. Once it entered, I lied on the platform of the technicians to the MRI. Jacobi expressed his hope that the examination will help determine the source of the pain in its shoulders.

SouthWest Healthcare Services, Hospital in Bowman, North Dakota, visits every Wednesday. Without this, 1,400 community residents will have 40 minutes to reach the MRI, an expensive piece of medical equipment that the hospital cannot bear on its own.

South West Health Care and 21 other independent hospitals are in northern Dakota in Riders, which have used joint patients for its members to negotiate better prices for mobile photography truck.

Independent rural hospitals are increasingly joining the so -called clinically integrated networks, and cooperative groups that allow them to avoid selling to larger health systems with resources sharing to save money and improve patient care. Many of the opportunity to integrate patients are stimulated Value -based care contractsThe growing payment form in which insurance companies pay service providers based on the quality of the care they provide and the health results of their patients.

Network supporters explore if the financing is from $ 50 billion Rural health conversion program Part of the tax bill and recent spending of President Donald Trump can be used to help start or expand these organizations.

For independent rural hospitals, networks are an alternative to closing services or limiting services, or to abandon local independence and join a large hospital system.

“Anything that can help our rural hospitals and add services is great,” said Jacobi, who provides treatment for children in the local educational area.

Since 2010, 153 rural hospitals in the United States have completely closed or stopped providing internal patient services, according to SHEPS Center for Health Services Research at North Carolina University. Many larger, 441, was combined with or obtained hospital systems between 2011 and 2021. This is According to a report Encouraged the coalition to enhance American health care, a group of supported by hospitals and health associations.

Dennis Jobel, CEO of Bowman Hospital, said that RING RIDER provides negotiations for its members, which serve about two -thirds of the rural areas in northern Dakotanz.

He said that healthcare sellers “may not talk to us if we are ourselves.” “They are not looking for small little crumbs. They want a big contract, and they will give you better prices.”

Some rural networks share specialists who do not need full -time in any one hospital, according to L. Commonwealth FundIt is a non -profit organization that focuses on improving the healthcare system. Some networks also invest in broadband, housing and other community development projects that can help people stay in good health and care.

Nathan White, CEO of Cibolo Health, a company that helps in launching networks in rural areas, said hospitals can collect employees for a health insurance plan at the network level. He said they could also enter joint contracts for remote health care programs, prescribed drug programs and other services.

White said he began Sebolo Health after a leader from North Dakota Hospital in North Dakota countryside asked him to cooperate with similar facilities. Rough Rider was launched in late 2023 with the assistance of the company and $ 3.5 million from the Legislative Authority in Northern Dakota.

Since then, CiBolo Health has helped start networks in Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana and Ouhayu. White, as soon as it opens the sixth in September, CIBOLO networks will represent more than 120 hospitals, covering the service areas 4.7 million people.

Networks, which are not profitable for hospitals, pay annual fees for Cibolo Health, a profit company, for management services. White said the leaders of 10 other states are considering joining this model.

Similar networks have been present for more than 30 years, but they became more popular after the acknowledgment law was passed at reasonable prices for 2010, According to a report By Rand, which is non -profit research.

Marinil Burdeld, Executive Director of the Community Care Alliance, a network of independent hospital and primary care offices launched in 2015 in West Colorado rural, said rural health care providers are increasingly interested in forming such networks. She said she is receiving a call from healthcare leaders almost once a month, and she receives a call from health care leaders and explores similar networks and asks about her experience.

Rand Corp wrote in its search for 2020 that it did not find any academic studies that studied whether these networks are doing what their supporters claim – save money and improve patient care.

“In theory, quality must be improved with the alignment of health care organizations, but there is no evidence,” the report said. The paper also said that such networks may end with increasing prices, which can happen with traditional integration and acquisitions.

Burdeld Witti said they had evidence, at least for their organizations.

Burdeield said that members of the Community Care Alliance reduced their insurance costs while improving patients’ results, such as reducing their need for internal patients and emergency care.

White said data from a pilot program between Caret Health, a care coordination company, and SMP Health-ST. Katei, one of the Rich Rider Hospital, showed that the program helped a large number of patients to catch up with preventive care.

Gabi Wilki, financial director at St. Kateri Hospital, in Rola, near the Canadian border, said that the cartnators had contacted patients who were lagging behind in annual physics, cancer examination, vaccines, and other visits. She said that the employees made it clear to patients that this preventive care is important for their health before making a triple call with St. Kateri employees to make an appointment. White said it took 11 attempts to raise awareness before patients came on any visits.

“Frankly, we did not have the resources to reach,” Wilki said.

She said that St. Kateri would have spent an estimated $ 300,000 to do this type of communication with 1,000 patients. She said that the hospital estimates that the hospital will gain more than $ 100,000 when many patients come to protect them from their preventive care. Cibolo Health and Rider Rider network contribute to the cost of Caret Health, which is now offering to other network hospitals.

Jobel said that joining a network of independent survival is also useful for the economy of the rural areas, as hospitals are often major employers. He said that health systems sometimes cut services and employees in the rural hospitals they gain.

Jacobi takes the medicine and does physical therapy after the doctor examined the results of MRI. If this does not succeed, you may need to take a trip and forth for five hours to Bismarck to get a shot from an ultrasound stereid. Jacobi was grateful because she could get a diagnosis and treatment without having to travel away from MRI.

She said: “At any time we can maintain more local control, this is a good thing for our small cities,” she said.