Administrator’s Bi-Weekly Review For Two Weeks Ending March 14th, 2026

Continued Dedicated Service to Our Community

Motivated by the Rural Health Transformation Plan’s targeted commitment to funds for rural healthcare, announced by President Trump over six months ago, KDHE has at last through CMS began issuing the guidelines for applying for funding on the first three of 24 programs earmarking direct grant dollars to healthcare organizations across Kansas. In exchange for a check, organizations must demonstrate a plan for producing measurable results which will yield one or more of the following core value initiatives: 1.) create better health outcomes for Kansans, 2.) improve access for rural Kansans to a well-coordinated continuum of care, 3,) utilize more efficient newer technologies that help reduce healthcare costs, and 4.) use the funds in a manner that promotes financial sustainability for those delivering the service(s).

So, the race for dollars is on across Kansas, and the first deadline just passed us at noon on Friday the 20^th. MCH participated in this program calling for capital expenditures investing in continuum of care opportunities. We elected to ask for funds that will convert our 2.5-year vacated ambulance barn into a senior focused behavioral health outpatient program. Senior Life Solutions would be our partner in this venture and help us meet a missing service in our region. Depression and loneliness are common amongst our single seniors and there is currently no nearby deliverable that truly addresses this condition. The program will provide transportation to and from our facility for three days a week of group and/or individual activities and therapy.

In two more weeks, we will plan to respond to the next program deadline of asking for collaborative initiatives, between a network of healthcare providers, which can collectively work to yield improved quality outcomes, and also gravitate towards a reimbursement model based on outcomes vs. the fee-for-service model now deployed - by the end of 2031. It is nice to be in a position where 2-3 existing groups are courting us to align with them. I trust that we can make a choice of which group to more formally align with during our Board meeting this coming Wednesday.

At least one other funding program bears interest to MCH and its strategic outlook for this new era. Most likely it will be to immerse ourselves in the telehealth arena to better access specialty support in line with the care of our more ill and /or critical patients. This might be related to the collaborative component of aligning with larger hospitals or with contracted specialty groups that care to reach out to rural markets. We have been amazed at the number of opportunities that exist for this type of partnering.

These are busy, but exciting times, and we hope to soon be the benefactor of some new service line possibilities!

-Kevin Leeper, CEO