NRMC Successes Shared at AHA Rural Health Leadership Conference

Recently, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center received a national spotlight for its rural health programs and services. Kirk Soileau, Chief Executive Officer, was asked to present the hospital’s many successes at the 33rd Annual American Hospital Association Rural Healthcare Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

“It is always a pleasure to share our success with other hospitals,” Soileau noted. “We’ve found so many innovative ways to improve care in our community. For example, we created a Primary Care Clinic that is open seven-days-a-week, year-round that accepts Medicaid. We are seeing on average a 20 percent increase in patient volume at our Primary Care Clinic each month. So instead of waiting until someone is seriously ill and in need of emergency care, our goal is to get folks to come to the clinic when illnesses first start. This means treating upper respiratory illnesses before the condition worsens and possibly turns into pneumonia, or getting folks immunizations and flu shots, or helping those with chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure better control their numbers. We are seeing such a great response. Our model can work in other communities across the nation and have the same positive impact on health that we are seeing in Natchitoches,” Soileau said.

Soileau also shared other innovative programs such as how NRMC is growing its specialist network, reaching out into the community to address population health issues, addressing reimbursement challenges, and growing services that the local community wants and needs like Wound Care, access to specialty care and more.

After presenting at the AHA national rural health meeting, NRMC’s innovation work was highlighted at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. Soileau also participated in a podcast about rural health which can be heard on www.nrmchospital.org/tv-radio-spots/