Rural-Centered Education for Today's Industry

Join HomeTown Health LLC and other attendees from across Rural Iowa for the 2026 Fall Rural Healthcare Education and Training. The theme, Pursuing Excellence. Accelerate Your Success, is indicative of your commitment to advancing rural health and improving access to care for a stronger, healthier Rural Iowa. Explore the agenda and REGISTER to attend on November 17-18. Leave empowered to implement best practices and innovative solutions to transform care delivery and business practices in your organization.

Pursuing Excellence. Accelerate Your Success.

Two days of insights, best practices, compliance considerations & personal development.

Who Should Attend?

Rural Health Clinics C-Suite
Critical Access Hospitals C-Suite
Revenue Cycle Leaders
Mid-level Leaders
Quality and Patient Safety Leaders
Hospital Compliance Officers

What to Expect

State Updates

Acquire valuable insights from subject matter experts around topics such as rural sustainability, outmigration management, revenue cycle and operational strategies, and more!

Quality

Focus in on QAPI and making healthcare safer by design with our quality-centered sessions, including the quality advisory committee meeting for interactive discussions centered around needs, best practices and resources.

Financial

Gain effective strategies and ideas for financial stability through effective Revenue Cycle management best practices.

What's on the Agenda

Day 1 | November 17, 2026

This session will includes updates on rural health priorities including care that connects, strategies and insights on outmigration reduction, operational strategy, data to decisions: AI rural strategy, revenue cycle best practices as well as state updates and the presentation of rural hospital awards.

Target Audience: Rural Hospital Professionals, including c-suite, managers, directors and supervisors, IT, financial, quality and revenue cycle professionals.

Time	Session	Presenter
8:00am	Breakfast
9:00am – 9:10am	Opening & Welcome	Meghan Williams \| HomeTown Health
9:10am – 9:30am	Rural Roots – Care that Connects	Jessica Guy, MBA \| HomeTown Health
9:30am – 10:15am	Close to Home: Strategies to Reduce Outmigration	Troy Brown \| Chartis
10:15am – 11:00am	Outmigration Cohort – A Facilitated Hospital Panel	Moderated by Chartis, with Hospital Representatives
11:00am – 11:30 am	Break
11:30am – 12:15pm	Data to Decisions: Powering Rural Strategy with AI	Dr. Tyler Wallace \| ScaleStreet
12:15pm – 1:15pm	Lunch
1:15pm – 2:15pm	Operational Improvement Strategies	Paul Hanson & Abbey Stangl \| Eide Bailey
2:15pm – 2:45pm	Diagnose, Optimize, Perform: A Revenue Cycle Assessment	Rachel Savary \| RS Data Analytics
2:45pm – 3:30pm	IDA Cohort Insights - A Facilitated Hospital Panel	Moderated by Rachel, with Hospital Representatives
3:30pm – 3:45pm	Break
3:45pm – 4:45pm	HHS Updates & Hospital Awards Presentation	Wanda Hilton \| Iowa HHS, Chartis & HTH Team
4:45 pm – 5:00 pm	Closing	Meghan Williams
5:00 PM	Networking Reception
6:00 PM	Plan to attend one of the Business Partner hosted dinners or make your own plans!

Day 2 | November 18, 2026 | Choose Your Track

Track One: Quality

Quality in the rural healthcare system plays an important role in positive outcomes for both the hospital and the community it serves. This comprehensive breakout session is designed to empower healthcare professionals in rural hospital settings with the knowledge and skills needed to champion quality improvement across their organizations. Attendees will also gain insights into how all staff members can contribute to the quality improvement process, ensuring safe, effective, and patient-centered care in the rural healthcare environment.

Target Audience: Quality Leaders, Compliance Staff

Time	Session	Presenter
8:00 am	Breakfast
9:00 am – 9:15 am	Opening & Welcome	Lesa Schlatman, RN
9:15 am – 10:00 am	Impacting Quality Outside the Hospital Walls	Lesa Schlatman, RN
10:00 am – 10:45 am	Value-Based Purchasing Investment Category in Practice: A Facilitated Hospital Panel	Lesa Schlatman, RN
10:45 am – 11:00 am	Break
11:00 am – 11:45 pm	Accountable Care Organization Investment Category in Practice: A Facilitated Hospital Panel	Lesa Schlatman, RN
11:45 am – 12:45 pm	Lunch
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm	Making Sense of CMS Star Ratings	Susan Runyan, MHCL, MICT CEO \| Runyan Healthcare Quality Consulting
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm	Break
2:00 pm – 3:45 pm	Leading People Through Change: Engagement, Accountability & Alignment	Susan Runyan, MHCL, MICT CEO \| Runyan Healthcare Quality Consulting
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm	Quality Advisory Roundtable	Lesa Schlatman, RN
4:15pm –4:30 pm	Closing and Next Steps	Lesa Schlatman, RN

Track Two: Financial

Join us for this session focused on revenue cycle best practices, key performance indicators and financial excellence.

Target Audience: Revenue Cycle Leaders, including Patient Access Managers/Supervisors/Directors, Patient Financial Service leaders.

Time	Session	Presenter
8:00am	Breakfast
9:00am – 9:15am	Opening & Welcome	Meghan Williams \| HomeTown Health
9:15am – 10:15am	Working with Out-of-State Medicaid	Rachel Savary \| RS Data Analytics
10:15am – 11:00am	Decoding Your Contracts	Sandy Sage, RN \| HomeTown Health
11:00am – 11:15am	Break
11:15am – 12:00pm	Emergency Services & NSA : Hospital Price Transparency 2026 Updates	Rachel Savary \| RS Data Analytics
12:00pm – 1:00pm	Lunch
1:00pm – 1:45pm	Closing the Digital Divide: Leveraging AI in the Revenue Cycle	Jason Whiteaker, VP of Channel Partnership \| SlicedHealth
1:45pm – 2:30pm	Interactive Session / Game	Sandy Sage. RN
2:30pm – 2:45pm	Break
2:45pm – 3:30pm	The Future of Financial Counseling: Moving Revenue Cycle to the Front End	Rachel Savary \| RS Data Analytics
3:30pm – 4:15pm	Revenue Cycle Advisory Roundtable Position Table Tops Patient Access \| Financial Counseling \| Billing \| HIM	Sandy Sage, RN
4:15pm – 4:30 pm	Closing and Next Steps	Meghan Williams

What You Need to Know

If you are a HOSPITAL attendee, register here - or by clicking on any of the 'register now' buttons on this page.

If you are a BUSINESS PARTNER attendee, register here.

If any changes to your registration need to be made after initial completion, please contact Susan Wiese, [email protected] - this includes changes to what days you plan to attend, change in who will attend, as well as if there is a change in accommodations needed.

Lodging is available at the Sheraton West Des Moines. The grant programs provide up to two (2) rooms per night, per facility. You may double up, sharing a room with a co-worker if you'd like, or if more than 2 rooms are needed, you may pay for the additional rooms on your own, with your facility covering the additional rooms.

You will be asked about your need for accommodations on the registration form.

Please note, if you request a hotel room, and do not check-in, your hospital will be charged the 'no show' fee from the hotel. If your needs for a hotel room change after your initial registration, please contact Susan Wiese immediately for support in cancelations and/or room assignment changes.

See You There