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Rural Matters

Rural Matters

By: Michael Levin-Epstein
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About this listen

 Rural Matters is a biweekly, 30-minute podcast about rural education, business, and health. The podcast's mission is to increase awareness, inform discussion, and expand the dialogue on the most important issues facing rural stakeholders every day. Guests on the podcast include rural education decision-makers, rural business owners and entrepreneurs, and rural health care representatives. The National Rural Education Association and the Center for Rural Affairs are marketing partners. Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Reimagining Rural Hospitals (Part 2 of BRG Series)

    Reimagining Rural Hospitals (Part 2 of BRG Series)
    Sep 16 2025

    In this episode, Michael chats with Michael Backus, President and CEO of Oswego Health; Brian Fisher, Managing Director at BRG; and Dr. Julia Clark, Managing Director at BRG. Together, they discuss the realities rural hospitals are facing; what Oswego Health is currently experiencing in upstate New York; innovative and collaborative approaches necessary to rethink operating models; how BRG Healthcare is working with rural hospitals to help bolster operations; and how partnerships can serve as a winning strategy to help rural hospitals overcome operational barriers.

    This episode and the two-part series are sponsored by BRG. Visit www.thinkbrg.com/healthcare to learn more.
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    45 mins
  • Transforming Rural Health Policy

    Transforming Rural Health Policy
    Jan 14 2026

    In this episode, Michael chats with Andrea Fox, Senior Editor at Healthcare IT News. Together, they discuss a recent study on how rural hospital at home programs have improved the patient experience—who conducted the study and its findings. Plus, they dive into what makes home health in rural areas unique compared to urban areas, policy implications of the study, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new Office of Rural Health Transformation and the funding behind it, what this new federal focus on rural health could mean moving forward, and much more.

    Read "Acute care at home helps improve outcomes for rural patients" in Healthcare IT News.

    Read "Hospital-Level Care at Home for Adults Living in Rural Settings, A Randomized Clinical Trial" in JAMA Network Open.
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    22 mins
  • Reimagining Rural Hospitals (Part I of BRG Series)

    Reimagining Rural Hospitals (Part I of BRG Series)
    Aug 12 2025

    In this episode, Michael chats with Alan Morgan, CEO of the National Rural Health Association (NRHA); Brian Fisher, Managing Director at BRG; and Dr. Julia Clark, Managing Director at BRG. Together, they discuss the current state of rural hospitals; NRHA's analysis of the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on rural hospitals; what rural healthcare providers should do now to ensure they can continue to offer quality patient care; and how NRHA and BRG are working together to reimagine the way rural providers can deliver care in the future.

    This episode and the two-part series are sponsored by BRG. Visit www.thinkbrg.com/healthcare to learn more.

    Check out NRHA's analysis on the impact of the OBBBA on rural healthcare at bit.ly/47iHbRQ.
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    47 mins
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