Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare

In the TCRHC session "Unlock the Secrets to Transforming Rural Healthcare Facilities," join Brian Haapala, CEO of Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare, and Arlene Harms, CEO of Rio Grande Hospital (Valley Citizens Foundation for Health Care), as they reflect on over 20 years of working together to plan and invest in rural healthcare facilities. Drawing from their long-standing collaboration, they’ll share practical insights and lessons learned to help navigate today’s dynamic capital investment environment. Brian will discuss common roadblocks in rural healthcare planning and offer actionable strategies to maximize funding opportunities, mitigate risks, and implement effective solutions grounded in research and real-world case studies. Arlene will provide a complementary perspective, sharing her firsthand experience in steering successful rural healthcare investments, including the transformation of ABC Hospital in Rio Grande, CO. Her leadership offers valuable guidance for those balancing vision and execution in rural health systems. Together, their two decades of collaboration offer a unique lens into building vibrant, sustainable rural healthcare systems. This session is an opportunity to learn from their journey and gain ideas you can apply to your own initiatives. Click below to learn more and register for The Colorado Rural Healthcare Conference before the early bird sale ends soon! https://lnkd.in/gUrDYckN

Not one, not two, but three rounds of applause ?????? are in order for our friends and teammates at Rio Grande Regional Hospital, Wray Community District Hospital, and Towner County Medical Center all for their recent recognition of the Chartis Center for Rural Health annual Top 100 award program honors. The awards acknowledge outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX? Moments like these are so well deserved and we at Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare are truly fortunate to support such outstanding Critical Access Hospitals throughout the United States. The work they and all Critical Access Hospitals do is invaluable, providing crucial services to communities in every corner of the country. Congratulations to the all the award winners for 2025! ?? #RioGrandeRegionalHospital #WrayCommunityHospitalDistrict #TownerCountyMedicalCenter #ruralhealthcare #CriticalAccessHospitals

Proud to see our friends and teammates of Hocking Valley Community Hospital stepping out and meeting with their Ohio delegation to advocate for rural healthcare ?? CEO Stacey Gabriel and her amazing crew always ensure that their beloved Hocking Valley rural community and its members come first ?? It is just one of many reasons #StroudwaterCapital is honored to continue to partner with them! #ruralhealthcare #advocacy #criticalaccesshospitals #hockingvalley

This quarters “Partners in Progress” is a great reminder of the power of data ?? Featuring Stroudwater Associates Senior Data Analysts, Keith Bubblo and Gregg Lathrop you can learn more about the positive and powerful impact their expertise in analytics has had and continues to have in rural healthcare ?? Click through to read more: https://lnkd.in/dFeUaS_g #ruralhealth #criticalaccesshospitals #usda #dataanalytics #stroudwatercapital

We want your stories! Stroudwater Capital Partners is leading an impactful study to identify rural healthcare leaders’ barriers to accessing capital for facility improvements. This research, which will result in a forthcoming policy paper, aims to identify critical issues affecting rural healthcare funding and develop strategies to enhance capital funding access in rural communities. Anyone working in rural healthcare is invited to participate in this important study to help shape better solutions for rural healthcare challenges. No story or experience is too big or too small- we want to hear them all! To participate by survey please visit?here: bit.ly/3WMkwqY or for questions about the study and to discuss barriers to capital funding directly, please reach out at [email protected] #ruralhealthcare #criticalaccesshospital #capitalfinance #capitalproject #communityfacilities

With the lack of investment in rural facilities over years, a lesser known benefit of CAH reimbursement is that it offers financial protection during the most-risky, startup phase of capital projects. Under the Medicare cost-based reimbursement system, CAHs are reimbursed at 101% of their annual depreciation and interest expenses for serving Medicare patients, and in some states, Medicaid patients are also included. This means that a significant portion of annual debt payments for capital projects is covered, substantially reducing the financial burden on the organization. For example, a $20 million capital project financed with a 30-year loan at a 4.5% interest rate would result in total annual debt payments of approximately $1.228 million in the first year. Under the CAH cost-based reimbursement system: - 70% of the first-year debt payments would be covered for a hospital with a 45% cost-based payer mix. - The remaining 30%, or $370,300, represents the actual financial gap that CAH leaders would need to address through other funding sources. This level of reimbursement allows organizations to mitigate startup risks, giving them more time to realize the returns from their investments. Over time, as the loan principal is repaid and interest expenses decline, CAH reimbursement will cover a smaller portion of the debt payments. However, this gradual shift aligns with the financial benefits gained from the project, such as increased patient volumes, improved service quality, and the ability to recruit additional providers. Interested in learning more? Visit the Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare Resources page and dive into "Modernizing Rural Hospitals: CAH Payment Benefits and Project Risk Reduction" found here: https://lnkd.in/dEiNiEib #ruralhealthcare #criticalaccesshospital #communityfacilities #usda #stroudwatercapital #capitalproject

Working with Beth is part of what makes our partnership with Hocking Valley Community Hospital so special. A brilliant CNO and an outstanding teammate, we are fortunate our paths have crossed!

Thank you to The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine for hosting Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare and Stroudwater Associates this week! The wonderful, professional crew in Portland has ensured we have had a top-notch space to come together as we recap our 2024 and collaborate on our intentions to best serve our rural healthcare communities in 2025. #ruralhealthcare #ruralhealth #enterprise #stroudwatercapital

The Hill-Burton program, formally known as the Hospital Survey and Construction Act, was a pivotal turning point in the advancement of rural healthcare in the United States. Signed into law in 1946, this legislation transformed the landscape of rural health by providing crucial construction grants and loans for building healthcare facilities in communities that previously lacked them. Enabling the construction of nearly one-third of U.S. hospitals by 1975, the Hill-Burton program brought essential medical services to the doorsteps of many rural communities, enhancing healthcare accessibility significantly. Even after its direct funding ended, the legacy of the Hill-Burton program continued. Now, with over 1300 Critical Access Hospitals currently active in the United States, many have reached the turning point for them to be replaced, expanded, or updated in order to continue serving their rural communities. In 2022 Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare and Stroudwater Associates released the 2022 Rural Hospital Replacement Facility Study considering data from all Critical Access Hospitals replaced between 2000-2019 and in fall of 2025 the updated study will be released extending the data from 2000-2023. Learn more from the current study and its findings here: https://lnkd.in/dVBWGubQ On this #NationalRuralHealthDay we celebrate rural healthcare and remind our rural health communities and partners that the role of Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare is to serve you and work alongside you to keep the future of your community looking bright. If you are ready to ask the questions about what it takes to replace, update, or expand your facility, we are here to talk: [email protected] #PowerOfRural #ruralhealth #ruralhealthcare #CriticalAccessHospital #capitalproject #USDA #communityfacilites

Outmigration occurs when patients from rural areas travel to larger hospitals in more populated areas for healthcare services. This phenomenon can have significant impacts on rural healthcare systems such as affecting patient volume and market share for rural healthcare facilities, financial strain, damage to the reputation of local healthcare providers, among others. In 2022 Stroudwater Capital Partners - Rural Healthcare and Stroudwater Associates released the 2022 Rural Hospital Replacement Facility Study considering data from all Critical Access Hospitals replaced between 2000-2019. The findings relative to volume growth post-replacement and the corresponding decrease in outmigration for Critical Access Hospitals was promising. Learn more from the study and its findings here: https://lnkd.in/dVBWGubQ On this National Rural Health Day we wholeheartedly celebrate rural healthcare and remind our rural health community that we are here to help. If you are ready to ask the questions about what it takes to replace or expand your facility and remove the term “outmigration” from your facilities vocabulary, ?we are here to talk: [email protected] #PowerOfRural #NationalRuralHealthDay #ruralhealth #ruralhealthcare #CriticalAccessHospital #capitalproject