Rural Health Clinic Programs
ORH provides guidance on becoming a certified Rural Health Clinic (RHC), assistance on compliance and operations and Practice Assessments that include: market share, supply & demand, productivity, coding, staffing levels, staff satisfaction, and clinic benchmarks. ORH also supports RHCs by providing regular updates on the changing regulations at the federal and state levels. ORH offers the bi-monthly RHC newsletter, which provides clinics with the latest information on topics from Medicare and Medicaid, billing and coding to education opportunities. Register for the newsletter here.
Honoring the commitment to health in rural communities.
Please visit Oregon Rural Health Excellence Award to learn more.
Financial and Operational Improvement
- RHC Billing and Coding Resources
- Webinars
- Tools
- Medicare Billing and Reimbursement
- Medicaid/Oregon Health Plan (OHP) Billing Reimbursement
- Oregon RHC Financial Benchmarking and Analysis Training
- Webinars
Professional Development
- Oregon Healthcare Leaders Association
- NARHC Spring and Fall Institute
- CRHCP Course Scholarship
- Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference
Quality Improvement
- RHC Quality 101 Cohort
- Training webinars
- QI Projects
- Patient Experience Education
- Webinar education modules
Regulation and Compliance Program
- RHC Regulatory Compliance Cohort
- Training webinars
- PI Projects
- Tools
- Mock Surveys
- Information on mock surveys
- Pre-Inspection Practice Tool
- QCOR
Technical Assistance
- Oregon RHC Network
- RHC Newsletter
RHC Resources 101
- Becoming an RHC
- Completing the Medicare Cost Report
- RHC Medicare Certification
- Enrolling with Oregon Medicaid
Webinars
What You Will Learn:
This recording will offer Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff a comprehensive overview of the unique aspects of working in an RHC and examine the influence of the program on daily operations. It will clearly define the specific responsibilities of each team member, promoting a better understanding of how teamwork can improve patient care and maintain regulatory standards. After watching this recording, staff will be more equipped to contribute to the ongoing success and enhancement of the RHC.
Presenter: Tressa Sacrey, Health Services Associates
What You Will Learn:
This recording is designed to equip a manager with an understanding of the various complexities involved in effectively managing a Rural Health Clinic (RHC). It will analyze essential strategies and workflows to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations while highlighting practical resources and tools for managing a Rural Health Clinic (RHC).
Presenter: Tressa Sacrey, Health Services Associates
RHC National Legislative and Regulatory Policy Update
August 21, 2025
What You Will Learn:
Insights into current RHC legislative and regulatory policy issues nationally.
NARHC’s policy and advocacy efforts enhance RHCs' ability to deliver cost-effective, quality health care to patients in rural, underserved communities. The NARHC government affairs team, based in Washington, D.C., is the primary resource to Congress, federal agencies, and the Administration on federal Rural Health Clinic issues.
Presenter: Sarah Hohman, NARHC Director of Government Affairs. Sarah leads regulatory and legislative federal policy efforts for the organization and provides direct technical assistance and education to RHCs nationwide. She advocates for reimbursement policies that incentivize and support rural primary care and other health services. Before joining NARHC, Sarah worked for the Pennsylvania State Office of Rural Health. She earned her BS in Health Policy and Administration from Penn State University and her Master of Public Health from the Penn State College of Medicine. Sarah resides in Alexandria, Virginia.
Oregon RHC Financial Benchmarking and Analysis Training Sessions
August 5 & 6, 2025
What You Will Learn:
Presenting and discussing the 2025 update to the 2024 RHC Financial Benchmarking and Analysis Report.
This report includes the previous year's data with the current year's updates for the newly completed and released Medicare Cost Reports. The first session discusses the purpose of the report, the background of the data source and the development of Oregon-specific RHC benchmarks. The remainder of the first session and most of the second moves into a discussion of various cost, payor mix, visit volume, provider mix, provider cost and charge statistics and benchmarks. Reporting is broken down between freestanding and provider-based RHCs. In addition, there are comparisons to the previous year's reporting. In each area, we present the results of the statistical analysis as well as share best practices deployed by higher-performing providers in Oregon and the rest of the United States.
The final portion of this two-part series focuses on cost report updates and strategies to assist in ensuring compliance with reporting requirements and improving overall reimbursement.
Presenter: Ralph Llewellyn, is a Partner with Eide Bailly LLP and serves as their Partner in Charge of Critical Access Hospitals. He began his career as a rural hospital CFO. For the past 27 years, he has been with Eide Bailly, where he conducts operational assessments and assists providers in enhancing financial and operational performance. He also assists providers in developing strategies for maintaining compliance with Medicare and other regulations in rural settings. Ralph is a frequent speaker at state, regional and national events.
Working in an RHC
What You Will Learn:
This recording will offer Rural Health Clinic (RHC) staff a comprehensive overview of the unique aspects of working in an RHC and examine the influence of the program on daily operations. It will clearly define the specific responsibilities of each team member, promoting a better understanding of how teamwork can improve patient care and maintain regulatory standards. After watching this recording, staff will be more equipped to contribute to the ongoing success and enhancement of the RHC.
Presenter: Tressa Sacrey, Health Services Associates
A Manager's Introduction to the RHC
What You Will Learn:
This recording is designed to equip a manager with an understanding of the various complexities involved in effectively managing a Rural Health Clinic (RHC). It will analyze essential strategies and workflows to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations while highlighting practical resources and tools for managing a Rural Health Clinic (RHC).
Presenter: Tressa Sacrey, Health Services Associates
RHC Advanced Coding and Billing
May 8, 2025
What You Will Learn:
This informative webinar goes beyond RHC coding and billing basics to explore more advanced billing topics, such as preventative services, care management services, hospice services, and medical and mental health telemedicine. This is an opportunity to enhance your knowledge and sharpen your coding and billing skills in these critical areas.
Presenter: Patty Harper, Principal, InQuiseek Consulting
Chronic Care Management for Oregon RHCs
May 6, 2025
What You Will Learn:
This webinar explores the latest changes in how rural health clinics report care management services. This session is informative and practical, offering helpful tips for setting up your in-house care management program. We take a closer look at the federal guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and share some great examples of care management services used in Oregon.
Presenter: Patty Harper, Principal, InQuiseek Consulting
FAQ Webinar: Behavioral Health in the RHC
April 21, 2025
What You Will Learn:
Patty Harper of InQuiseek Consulting will host a series of webinars this spring focused on RHCs. The first in this webinar series will cover how to effectively integrate behavioral health into an RHC. She will address frequently asked questions, including:
- Which behavioral health professionals are qualified RHC providers?
- What about a medical and mental health visit on the same day?
- Are there challenges to providing these services in an RHC?
Join this session to discover these answers, ask other questions or share your successes.
Presenter: Patty Harper, Principal, InQuiseek Consulting
RHC Coding and Billing Fundamentals
March 4, 2025
What You Will Learn:
Join Patty Harper in an engaging webinar where she will dive into the essential principles of coding and billing specific to rural health clinics. Whether you are an experienced billing professional looking to brush up on your skills or a newcomer eager to learn the ropes, this curriculum has got you covered. Participants can expect a comprehensive overview of the foundational aspects of RHC Medicare coding, including practical examples and insights that will enhance their understanding of the billing process.
Presenter: Patty Harper, Principal, InQuiseek Consulting
RHC National Legislative and Regulatory Policy Update
February 25, 2025
Presenter: Sarah Hohman
Getting Strategic with Your Rural Health Clinic
Jan. 8, 2025
What You Will Learn:
Many rural health clinics understand the Medicare regulations, but how familiar are you with Oregon Medicaid's specific RHC rules, and how might you optimize your RHC’s reimbursement from a Medicaid perspective? This session will cover strategies relating to the RHC prospective payment system (PPS) rate, a change in scope of services request, wrap reporting and places of service where RHC encounters could be provided. Come with your questions and be ready to take some valuable ideas back to your team!
Presenter: Katie Jo Raebel, CPA, partner at Wipfli