REGISTRATION INFORMATION Registration is complimentary for all GHA hospital members. GHA Staff Contacts: Andy Cobb: 770-249-4517
Chuck Adams: 770-249-4583
Leigh Beakley: 770-249-4503
LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Learn techniques for effectively engaging your patients and the community. • Understand how to develop a coordinated strategic and marketing plan to reach your goals. • De ne health equity in the context of rural and frontier health care delivery. • Describe the structural contributors to geographic health disparities between rural and urban communities. • Learn how to measure health disparities in your organization and community. • Describe the national rural health agenda and the implications for your organization and community. • Describe how employee expectations have evolved due to COVID and how that impacts recruitment and retention. • Discuss how employee engagement translates to the bottom line and achieving strategic goals. • Identify how changing workforce dynamics can be an opportunity to expand a hospital’s available talent.
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS The Georgia Hospital Association Research & Education Foundation is an approved provider of nursing home administrator credits as a professional trade association in long-term care under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 393-13-.02, (1) (a). Approved for 4 contact hours. By attending the 2021 Center for Rural Health Annual Meeting offered by Georgia Hospital Association, participants may earn up to 4 ACHE Quali ed Education Hours toward initial certi cation or recerti cation of the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) designation. This activity has been approved by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center for up to 4.0 hours of continuing education for recerti cation in the Hospital Leadership Training Program.
Mike Milligan
President, Legato Healthcare Marketing
Building Trust and Confidence in Your Organization From the Inside Out
A rural hospital’s future can be made or broken by the level of con dence people – both internally and externally – have in the organization. In this presentation, we’ll focus on how to build loyalty and advocacy starting with hospital staff. Employee engagement and satisfaction can create a positive face for your organization and can lead to a better overall patient experience. From there, we’ll discuss creating a connection that takes you out to the community – and brings the community to you. We’ll also discuss why it’s important to align your marketing plan with your strategic plan. To help you visualize speci c tactics and strategies, we’ll share examples from rural hospitals that are seeing positive results from their relationship-building interactions. Mike Milligan is actively engaged in identifying solutions to build the brands and volumes of rural hospitals. Before starting Legato, which is the exclusive marketing partner for the National Rural Health Association, Mike served as vice president of communications for Prevea Health and director of public relations and strategic communications with Aurora HealthCare, both in Wisconsin. As a health care marketing expert, educator and media trainer, Mike has led health care marketing discussions at national conferences and has directed strategic planning efforts for a variety of organizations. Mike also is a contributing author for leading health care marketing publications and shares his insights weekly through the nationally recognized Legato Healthcare Blog.
Benjamin Anderson
VP, Rural Health, Colorado Hospital Association
Left Out or Roped In? Rural America’s Journey Toward Health Equity As health equity has risen to the center of the national conversation over the past few decades, it has largely – whether intentionally or unintentionally – excluded rural America. Meanwhile, health care access in rural communities has signi cantly declined, leading to some of the worst health outcomes in the United States. Through a series of true and inspiring stories, Benjamin Anderson humanizes the glaring disparities that exist between rural and urban communities and describes the structural issues that perpetuate them. He offers hopeful and practical tools that empower leaders to be their own best advocates through the hard work and ingenuity that de ne the backbone of America. In his current role at the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA), Benjamin Anderson provides leadership and direction in the development and execution of the Association’s rural strategies, advocates on behalf of rural hospitals and health systems, and works to develop strategic partnerships with organizations that affect the health of rural Americans. Prior to joining CHA, Benjamin served as CEO of Kearny County Hospital, a comprehensive rural health care delivery complex in Lakin, Kansas that serves patients of 30 nationalities within a 180-mile radius. Benjamin is a recognized leader in transforming rural health care through a mission-driven approach to recruiting physicians to underserved areas, tying together domestic and international service. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Business Administration from Drury University in Spring eld, Missouri and a Master of Health Care Delivery Science degree from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Shannon Wu, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Director of Payment Policy American Hospital Association
AHA Rural Legislative and Policy Update
Rural hospitals and health systems have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, working to provide quality care for patients, families and communities. Despite unprecedented nancial and health care challenges, rural hospitals remain committed to ensuring local access to high-quality, affordable health care during the pandemic and beyond. The American Hospital Association (AHA) is working to ensure federal policies and regulations are updated to re ect the urgent needs of hospitals and health systems during these challenging times. AHA continues to prioritize advancing innovation, making strides in care delivery and investing new resources to protect access to care for Americans living in rural communities. In this session, federal rural experts will discuss the legislative and policy activities and advocacy. In her current role at AHA, Shannon Wu, Ph.D., focuses on the association’s work on Medicare inpatient hospital and rural hospital issues. Dr. Wu came to the AHA from Cornerstone Research, where she served as an associate working on a wide range of economic analyses for health carerelated matters, including hospital mergers and provider reimbursements. Previously, she worked in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Wu received her Ph.D. in health services research and policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
Heather Eastman
Senior HR Consultant, Gallagher
The HR Variant: How the Pandemic Will Shape Your Workforce in the Future The COVID pandemic has changed the way employers and workers interact and has provided new paradigms for managing the workforce. Shifting worker values and improving technology provide opportunities for rural hospitals to drive engagement that positively impacts the bottom line. This session will explore the changing dynamics and innovative ways that hospitals will recruit and retain the talent needed to run successful organizations. As a senior consultant within the Human Resources Consulting and Compensation Practice of Gallagher Bene t Services, Inc., Heather helps clients navigate large-scale organizational change and optimize the human element of their operations. With more than 25 years of leadership experience, she brings a unique perspective to HR with deep experience in the technology, legal, and health care sectors. Throughout her career, she has led large-scale initiatives, including HRIS system selection and implementation, global change management, HR process re-design, postacquisition integration, organizational change and internal communication strategy, growth strategy, and operational turnaround. Prior to joining Gallagher, Heather served in executive leadership roles at Kroll Ontrack/Kroll (MMC), Code42, Thomson Reuters and Amplifon and founded a management consulting rm. She holds a B.A. from The College of Wooster in Ohio and has been trained in outcome-driven innovation by Strategyn.
Happy Hour
Featuring SongDivision
Rock and Roll Game Show
Compete for ultimate bragging rights as two rockstar musicians/MCs lead attendees through a live “Rock and Roll Game Show” program. Snippets of songs you know and love are performed LIVE by our musicians in segments like “Name That Tune,” “Finish the Line,” “Rock and Roll Trivia,” and “Draw Me Beyonce.” The winner of the game show receives SongDivision’s most coveted prize – an “Instahit,” which is a song written about them in under three minutes. The ultimate way to inspire friendly competition among your teams, SongDivision’s virtual “Rock and Roll Game Show” is always a hit!
Thank You to Our Sponsors Platinum Draffin Tucker Georgia Hospital Health Services (GHHS) Health Care Insurance Resources, Inc. (HCIR) Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP South Georgia Radiology Associates
Gold Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP biospatial Bras eld & Gorrie Coker Group Hoar Construction King & Spalding Meduit Parrish Construction Group PYA
Thank You to Our Sponsors Silver AIG Retirement Services Batson-Cook Construction Core Management Resources Group JE Dunn Construction MagMutual, LLC MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service Sound Physicians Warren Averett
Bronze Advance Rehabilitation Management Group Alexander Consulting Group, Inc. Allegiant Anesthesia Art Plumbing Company Caravan Health Cardio Solutions First American Healthcare Finance Gay Construction Company Lifelink of Georgia McKenney’s Novo Nordisk, Inc. Peach State Health Plan PharmD on Demand Pinnacle Health Group Robins & Morton TD Bank tvsdesign