7:15am – 8:00am
Conference Registration & Networking Breakfast

8:00am – 8:15am
Chairperson's Opening Remarks

8:15am – 9:00am
Digital Tools and AI in Rural Practice: Extending Capacity Without Adding Staff
Rural hospitals face capacity constraints that technology can help address without proportional increases in staffing and expense. AI tools automate clinical documentation reducing physician paperwork burden, allowing clinicians to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks. Virtual nursing programs extend in-person nursing capacity through remote monitoring and support. Telehealth and tele-specialty access connect rural patients with remote specialists without requiring full-time recruitment or travel. Yet rural hospitals must select technology strategically suited to their budget and infrastructure constraints. Learn how to assess which technology investments address highest-priority capacity gaps, implement digital tools for meaningful workflow improvement not just technology adoption, build broadband and IT infrastructure supporting digital care and measure ROI ensuring investments deliver promised benefits. Understand how to engage clinicians in technology selection and implementation building adoption rather than resistance. 

Hassan A. Tetteh, MD, MBA
Adjunct Faculty, Center for Digital Health and AI
Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

9:00am – 9:45am
The Rural Health Landscape
Rural health is not simply a small version of urban, but rather a unique health care delivery environment. This session will provide a national perspective on the current rural health landscape, examining the key policy, economic, and demographic trends shaping rural health care today and the opportunities that lie ahead. Participants will gain insight into the challenges facing rural health organizations while exploring innovative strategies that are strengthening rural health systems and improving outcomes. Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of where rural health stands today, where it is headed, and how collaborative leadership can help build a stronger, healthier future for rural communities nationwide.

Alan Morgan, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
National Rural Health Association

9:45am – 10:15am
Networking & Refreshments Break

10:15am – 11:00am
Building the Rural Leadership Pipeline: Research-Informed Strategies for Developing Middle Managers
Rural hospitals face persistent challenges in recruiting, retaining, and preparing the next generation of leaders, yet few evidence-based leadership development models are designed specifically for the rural healthcare environment. This presentation shares the findings of a qualitative study exploring the leadership development experiences of middle managers across New Mexico Rural Health Network (NMRHN) member hospitals. The research identified the unique barriers and organizational factors that influence leadership growth and informed the development of the CORE Leadership Initiative, an evidence-informed framework that develops leaders through experiential learning, mentorship, and project-based leadership. Attendees will leave with practical, scalable strategies to strengthen leadership pipelines, improve engagement, and build organizational capacity within rural healthcare organizations

Matthew C. Stephens, DHA. FACHE
Chief Operating Officer
Gila Regional Medical Center 

11:00am – 11:45am
Strategic Partnerships: From Safety Net to Growth Engine
Partnerships have evolved from survival strategy to core growth engine. Learn about partnership models from informal referral agreements to formal system integration, how to identify complementary partners and maintain local autonomy while accessing resources.

Sherri A. Young, DO, MBA, FAAFP, DHL
Physician Director, Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Fellowship
WVU Medicine

11:45am – 12:30pm
Federal Funding and Resources: Accessing RHTP and Emerging Opportunities
Leveraging RHTP funding,  Nebraska is set to become the first State to effectively connect its entire rural health care grid to Veterans Affairs. The connections will allow seamless scheduling for Veterans in rural communities, increase access to local care for Veterans while reducing paperwork and accelerating payment to community care sites. Learn about Nebraska’s RHTP plan to modernize and digitize Veteran scheduling. 

Jed Hansen PhD, APRN, FNP-C
Executive Director
Nebraska Rural Health Association 

12:30pm – 1:30pm
Networking Lunch

1:30pm – 2:15pm
Right Patient. Right Bed. Right Time: Advancing Coordinated Care Across Rural Health Networks
Rural healthcare organizations are increasingly embracing a coordinated, system-wide approach to patient flow that improves access to care while maximizing limited resources. This session will explore how shared accountability, regional collaboration, centralized patient placement, and technology-enabled care coordination can help ensure patients receive the right level of care at the right time and in the most appropriate setting. Attendees will learn strategies for strengthening partnerships across rural hospitals, leveraging transfer centers and bed management technologies, expanding access to specialty services close to home, and creating seamless care transitions that improve patient outcomes while preserving local access to high-quality care.

Kevin Post, DO
Chief Medical Officer
Avera Health 

2:15pm – 3:15pm
Panel Discussion: Leading Proactive Transformation Across Rural Healthcare
Rural healthcare leaders navigating transformation discuss how they shifted from reactive survival to proactive growth. Panelists share decision-making frameworks, how they built board and community support, managing change while maintaining culture and when to pivot versus persist. Hear candid reflections on what worked, unexpected challenges and how rural leaders maintain momentum. Topics to be discussed will include:

• Shifting mindset from reactive survival to proactive transformation
• Building board and community alignment on transformation strategy
• Managing change at scale across multiple priorities simultaneously
• Maintaining culture and staff engagement through transformation

Marvin Smoot
Executive Director
Great Plains Veterans Research Foundation 

Aubrey Haynes
Vice President, Board of Directors
National Association of Rural Health Clinics

Jed Hansen PhD, APRN, FNP-C
Executive Director
Nebraska Rural Health Association 

3:15pm – 3:45pm
Networking & Refreshments Break

3:45pm – 4:15pm
How to navigate the complex world of modern Radiology: a checklist for success.
The Radiology industry from the technical and professional standpoint has been transforming at a untenable rate. Rural Hospital leaders need to understand where the industry was, where it currently is, and where it is going. How to navigate the world of radiology interpretation, The radiologist shortage, the Radiology technologist shortage, and Radiology AI, that benefits patients, but also results in long-term financial stability.

Anand P. Lalaji MD
Chief Operating Officer
The Radiology Group

4:15pm – 5:00pm
From Policy to Practice
Healthcare organizations often struggle to transform policy and reimbursement requirements into operational success. This session provides leaders with a practical framework for translating complexity into sustainable execution.

Participants will be able to:

• Analyze common breakdowns between healthcare policy, reimbursement requirements, and frontline execution.
• Translate regulatory and payer requirements into practical workflows aligned with staff responsibilities.
• Develop an execution framework that improves accountability, operational consistency, and sustainability.

Aubrey Haynes
Vice President, Board of Directors
National Association of Rural Health Clinics

5:00pm
End of Day One