Discover how the MI Flex Program leverages data to drive meaningful improvements for Michigan Critical Access Hospitals (MI CAHs). By utilizing comprehensive financial and operational benchmarking data, we aim to identify opportunities for growth and support positive change. Our program provides a robust suite of resources and technical assistance tailored to strengthen MI CAHs, helping ensure they have the tools needed to thrive in an evolving healthcare landscape.
Join the benchmarking movement with the CAH Analytics Solution, developed by Eide Bailly in collaboration with MCRH, to help Michigan Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) enhance productivity and clinic workflows. This solution empowers hospital leaders to evaluate and compare staffing ratios, key performance indicators (KPIs), and identify improvement opportunities, all while providing real-time insights to drive informed decisions and better outcomes.
CAH Analytics Solution – Demo with 3 pilot Michigan CAHs - Video
CFO Financial and Operational Benchmarking Webinar - Video
The Michigan Center for Rural Health provided financial and operational resources as a part of the the MI FLEX Program to Critical Access Hospitals across Michigan.
Departmental projects focusing on using lean concepts and tools to understand the current state, identify and eliminate the waste, and develop a future state.
OSF Escanaba Emergency Department Throughput Project
Eaton Rapids Medical Center - RHC Lean Project
Tips and Techniques for Designing an Ideal Claims Preparation Process
Practical Lean Manager Training – a comprehensive leader development program. Participants learn the process and techniques of establishing and sustaining operational excellence and overall continuous improvement.
Over the past five years, the Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) has actively supported hospital transitional care programs. While we have collaborated with various consultants, we have built a strong partnership with Allevant Solutions. MCRH can provide guidance on Certificate of Need (CON) requirements, bed changes, billing, swing bed strategies, and regulatory considerations.
Enhancing Transitional Care Through Swing Bed Utilization at UMH Sparrow Clinton Hospital
If you have questions or would like to learn more about our work in this area, please contact Jeff Nagy at jeff.nagy@affiliate.msu.edu.
Avoid delayed and/or lost revenue | CAH Revenue Cycle Questionnaire Tool
The healthcare industry has long been siloed between quality and finance which has led to operational inefficiencies, negative outcomes, and poor financial performance. These have often been siloed into a Revenue Cycle Committee and Quality Improvement Committee. Top performing CAHs have realized that quality has a direct impact on financial performance and financial performance has a direct impact on quality initiatives. This engagement focuses on breaking down the barriers between finance and quality by establishing a single performance improvement collective (PIC) to drive financial and operational performance.
From May 1, 2021, through April 30, 2025, the Healing Close to Home initiative strengthened transitional care across rural Michigan by helping Critical Access Hospitals expand post-acute services, improve patient recovery, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of rural healthcare. During the four-year grant, participating hospitals provided transitional care services to more than 900 patients, generating approximately 13,000 swing bed days, while achieving discharge-to-home rates that consistently exceeded national averages. The program also equipped more than 140 healthcare professionals with specialized training to enhance transitional care services. By keeping patients closer to home for recovery, participating hospitals improved access to care, enhanced patient outcomes, created new revenue opportunities, and strengthened the financial sustainability of rural hospitals and the communities they serve. By strengthening local capacity, the program created a foundation for participating hospitals to sustain and expand transitional care services into the future.
The Flex Program | Flex Monitoring Team
FMT work focuses on three main topic areas for rural communities: quality improvement, financial and operational improvement, and community engagement. FMT conducts analyses evaluating the Flex Program, collects and tracks state-level CAH data, maintains a national listing of CAHs, and maintains and updates the CAHMPAS database, an online data query tool used to explore the financial, quality, and community-benefit performance of CAHs.
Support – CAHMPAS – Flex Monitoring Team
The link above provides a guide & tutorial, definitions, and FAQs of FMTs tools available
Michigan: Performance on selected Financial Indicators compared to national benchmarks.
Provides a wealth of information, opportunities, and resources on rural health. RHIhub strives to help improve rural healthcare services and population health.
The National Rural Health Association is a nonprofit membership organization that gathers members from across the country. Their mission is to lead on rural health issues through advocacy, communication, education, and research.
Financial and Operational Improvement | National Rural Health Resource Center
Explore a range of financial and operational resources featuring best practices and strategies to enhance financial performance and optimize operational efficiency.
Critical Access Hospital Financial Sustainability Guide
Support and guidance for CAHs in maintaining long-term financial stability
Strategies for Critical Access Hospitals to Address Outmigration
This technical assistance guide was created as a resource to support Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Programs, as well as leaders of critical access hospitals (CAHs) and rural health clinics (RHCs), in developing strategies to understand the causes of market share loss and address outmigration—defined as patients choosing to receive healthcare services at facilities outside their local community.
FY23 Update Small Rural Hospital and Clinic Finance 101_11.pdf
Updated guide and answers to frequently asked regarding CAH, PPS, and RHC finance and financial performance.
Allows eligible health care organizations to stretch limited federal resources by purchasing outpatient medications at significantly reduced prices, helping them serve more patients and offer more comprehensive care. Pharmaceutical manufacturers that participate in Medicaid are required to provide these discounts to covered entities, which include HRSA-supported health centers, Ryan White clinics, State AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, Disproportionate Share Hospitals, children’s hospitals, and other designated safety-net providers.
See the full list of eligible organizations/covered entities.
Each year the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) release updates to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and the Outpatient Prospective Payment and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems (OPPS) final rules. The final rules, update the payment policies and payment rates for the current fiscal year.
FY 2026 IPPS Final Rule Home Page | CMS
