Vision
Empowering rural communities for a healthier Tennessee.
Mission
To strengthen health care across Tennessee by actively involving rural communities in shaping their health care future, providing strategic technical assistance, conducting implementation-focused research, promoting partnerships, and advocating for evidence-based policies that enhance access, quality, equity, and long-term resilience of health care in rural communities.
This four-year, $12 million project engages a multidisciplinary team to identify health care gaps in rural counties and support those communities in developing solutions. The Center of Excellence administers $7 million in planning and implementation grants to address rural health concerns across the state.
The Center of Excellence is built around five cores:
- The Administrative Core provides technical support and fosters collaboration to drive change in rural health care.
- The Evaluation Core assesses and reports on impact.
- The Planning and Implementation Core identifies and pilots innovative solutions.
- The Sustainability and Dissemination Core shares best practices across the state.
- The Practice Optimization core partners with clinical practices to identify sustainable funding sources and optimize care efficiency and effectiveness.
Call for Letters of Intent
Second Cycle Opens for Planning, Implementation Grants
The Center of Excellence is seeking Letters of Intent for its second grant cycle. The main focus of the grants should be Clinical Practice Transformation in one of the following three categories: operational excellence, technology implementation, or shared services/regional transformation and integration.
The application window for Letters of Intent is Sept. 8 through Sept. 28. Complete details and an application link are available on our Grant Opportunities page.
Technical and Operational Assistance
The Tennessee Rural Health Care Center of Excellence will soon offer technical and operational assistance to organizations or individuals working in the rural healthcare space in the following categories:
- Practice Performance Infrastructure
- Clinical Operating Model
- Workflow and Care Delivery Redesign
- Value-Based Care Readiness and Financial Alignment
- Tech and Interoperability Enablement
- Implementation and Change Management
- Interim/Temporary Role Backfill
- Qualitative Research Support
- Quantitative Research Support
We plan to begin reviewing these assistance requests in August. Our ability to fulfill the requests will depend on the subject matter expert’s availability and the nature of the request. To submit a request, please email [email protected] and include the support category in the subject line. We look forward to working with you!
Telehealth Tuesdays
The Telehealth Tuesday webinar series covers everything from innovation to practical concerns.
Sept. 15, 12:00 pm CST: The third Telehealth Tuesday webinar will cover Billing and Reimbursement in Tennessee. Hayley Prosser, director of revenue cycle services at ruralMED Revenue Cycle Resources, will be the guest.
Connect with the Center
Let us know what educational opportunities you are interested and sign up for our newsletter!
Value-Based Care
Webinar Series
All sessions to be held at noon CST
Sept. 10: Mind the Gap: Mapping the Patient Journey and Building Longitudinal Care
Sept. 24: Choosing Partners That Fit: Selecting Vendors That Align with Your Operational Culture
Oct. 8: The Details Matter: Documentation, Quality, Data, and Performance
Sept. 29, 12:00 pm CST: The fourth Telehealth Tuesday webinar will cover Remote Patient Monitoring. Speakers will include Jordan Berg, principle investigator for the National Telehealth Technology Assessment and Resource Center (TTAC), and Calvin Ross, another member of the TTAC team.