Policy leaders and elected officials met this week in Harrisburg to discuss rural healthcare challenges.

“The challenges to rural healthcare come as no surprise to me, or anyone who grew up in a rural community,” Rep. Kathy Rapp said after the session. “Driving many miles to appointments, possibly crossing state lines to see certain specialists, broadband connectivity issues, emergency medical services coverage and staffing challenges are just a few of the many issues talked about in today’s meeting. Identifying these issues is one thing; addressing them is another thing entirely.”

The meeting was held by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) and focused on preserving and expanding rural health, according to a release from that organization. Rural hospital leaders were joined by members of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration for the session aimed to “discuss the unique challenges their hospitals and communities face.”

The HAP called it a “first step toward new rural health policy recommendations.”

“While it’s unlikely we will ever solve the distance between major hospitals in rural communities, there is work being done to improve transportation to healthcare centers,” Rapp said.

She highlighted improvements to broadband connectivity as well as a Penn State College of Medicine program aimed at retention of healthcare providers in rural areas.

“These ideas have the potential to make real change,” Rapp said. “But these ideas will struggle to gain widespread traction without the right funding model.”

She said that new strategies are being made possible by shifts in funding models.

“Rather than relying on patient volume to make money, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model is a test of whether changing to a global budget system increases access to high-quality healthcare for rural Pennsylvanians,” she argued.

“I’m concerned for the sustainability of these programs unless this test-run becomes more widespread,” she added. “To make matters more complicated, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a new healthcare funding model called Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD). The AHEAD model is built on cost savings and seeks to expand participants outside of rural areas, which does not align with the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.”

She insisted that rural providers will make the most of what they have.

“The many ideas shared at this roundtable are proof of that,” she said. “But all this good work will be for nothing if we fail to fund rural hospitals fairly.”