Noted futurist Shawn DuBravac, PhD, CFA, will lay out a vision for small and rural hospitals in his keynote address at the 2026 IHA Small & Rural Hospitals Annual Meeting, identifying key components of a new model of care delivery to serve rural communities.
On June 18, DuBravac will position the future of rural healthcare against the backdrop of today's challenges: financial pressures, a tightening workforce and evolving patient needs. He'll speak to what the next generation of small and rural hospitals will look like, how they will operate, and what will define success in an ever-changing healthcare environment.
Bring your leadership team this IHA signature event, held in Springfield, to hear from DuBravac about how small and rural hospitals can:
Become community-centric, data-driven hubs that anticipate patient needs;
Leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to support a lean workforce and predictive tools and automation to reduce burnout, strengthen financial stability, and improve patient outcomes;
Expand access to care through remote monitoring, virtual care, and partnerships; and
Build a roadmap for modernization without a major capital investment.
DuBravac is president of the Avrio Institute consultancy and a best-selling author. He was previously chief economist for the Consumer Technology Association.
In addition to the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to attend the pre-conference workshops and networking reception on June 17 and IHA's AI webinar series specifically for small and rural hospital leaders. Click here for more information and to register for the Annual Meeting and pre-conference workshops. IHA's discounted room rate at the Crowne Plaza Springfield is available through May 27.
Healthcare Reclaims Top Spot Among U.S. Domestic Worries
The latest Gallup poll found healthcare topping Americans’ list of domestic concerns, with more U.S. residents saying they worry “a great deal” about the “availability and affordability of healthcare” (61%) than about 15 other domestic policy areas. This was followed by four economic matters of high concern to about half of adults: the economy, inflation, federal spending and the budget deficit, and the way income and wealth are distributed.
While healthcare roughly tied the economy as Americans’ top concern in 2025, Gallup noted it now leads by a full 10 points. The report said that healthcare’s current position signifies a return to its standing in prior decades. It ranked as the top concern from 2015 to 2020, before being replaced by economic and inflationary matters. Between 2002 and 2014, the economy and healthcare tied or traded places as the leading concern.
Gallup found Americans were least likely to be concerned about race relations, illegal immigration, unemployment, and the availability and affordability of energy. Roughly a third said they worry a great deal about each of these issues.
HHS Reverses 2024 Reorganization of IT Services
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it is reversing a 2024 reorganization of health IT leadership and services. The dually titled Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will now be unified under the singularly titled Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Three technology roles, including the Chief Technology Officer, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and Chief Data Officer, will be shifted back under the Chief Information Officer’s leadership. HHS said the changes reinforce the ONC’s focus on health IT policy, standards and certification, while allowing the Office of the Chief Information Officer to concentrate on enterprise IT, cybersecurity and data operations.
BBB Scam Alert: Tax Impostor Scams on the Rise During Tax Season
With just two weeks left before the April 15 tax filing deadline, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning residents to be on high alert for a surge in increasingly sophisticated tax scams. BBB said scammers are now using artificial intelligence to make fraudulent websites, emails and phone calls appear more convincing and realistic. BBB has received reports that scammers are posing as tax collection or tax relief services, using legitimate-sounding business names to appear credible. Reported names include “American Tax Consultants,” “US Tax Relief,” “Tax Relief Group,” and “Tax Resolution Oversight Department,” among others.
Family physicians who report feeling burned out are nearly 1.5 times more likely to change practices or stop practicing medicine entirely compared to their peers who don’t report burnout, a study by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found. The findings, published March 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine, also highlight the consequences for patients: People who lose their family physician may be more likely to visit the emergency room, spend more on healthcare and be less satisfied with their care than those who keep their doctors.
A first-of-its-kind medical procedure in Illinois was performed at Blessing Hospital in Quincy on April 12. The minimally invasive procedure is called Renal Denervation, or uRDN. It is intended for people living with uncontrolled high blood pressure. In addition to being the first of its kind in Illinois, the uRDN procedure is not yet available at St. Louis area hospitals either.
The Memorial Hospital Emergency Department nurses have completed intensive training conducted by OSF Healthcare of Peoria, Illinois, titled "Non-Maternity Service Hospital Education." This training has equipped them with advanced skills and expertise in handling non-maternity-related services that correspond with childbirth. It is aimed at enhancing emergency care for expecting mothers and newborns in critical situations.
As thousands of internationally trained healthcare workers are stuck in visa limbo, a new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions could further destabilize the workforce, the American Hospital Association said in an article on its website.
Weather forecasters have upgraded most of Illinois to an “enhanced” risk of severe storms on Thursday, with “strong tornadoes” possible. According to that guidance from the Storm Prediction Center, nearly all of northern and central Illinois are at that “enhanced” risk level, the third of five levels used by the SPC.
