Small Doesn’t Have to be Small

By Rhonda Barcus, Program Specialist

Recently, I had the good fortune of attending the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) 10^th Annual Rural Quality and Clinical Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. I stepped off the plane to a cool 61 degrees. Now mind you, this is the middle of July in Atlanta! This was just the first in a number of unexpected pleasures for the day.

My second nice surprise came from the comradery of the folks attending. What a nice way to start the day with my friends from Alabama, including Rural Hospital Performance Improvement (RHPI) Project state partners, Jane and Bethany, and our friends from Jackson Medical Center, Jennifer and Angela. It is always a treat to spend time with such positive and motivated colleagues who continue to care and strive for the best. Thanks for letting me sit at your table even though I’m not official Alabama! It was nice to share the time with Mary Guyot from Stroudwater Associates as well.

For me, the big take-away from the conference came from a presentation by John Worden, PharmD, MS, BCPS, the Pharmacy and Laboratory Services Director at McPherson Hospital in Kansas. He discussed the amazing things that rural is capable of and that “small doesn’t have to be small.” He shared a concept that he uses with the hospital pharmacy—to run his department as an “enterprise.” He works to think Big and lead Big and to really focus on being at the forefront of innovation rather than waiting to be told what needs to be done. Along those lines, he pointed out that “rural is an entrepreneur’s dream” because the opportunities are endless, and it’s important for those working in rural to think in this way.  

A second outstanding point from Dr. Worden’s presentation involved the change in practice as a result of change in health care. He shared that pharmacists are no longer just “dispensing pills,” but it is now about putting professionals at the bedside. Pharmacists are now intimately involved in patient education, which affects discharge planning, medication compliance and ultimately readmission rates and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) numbers. This change in health care is really exciting for rural since there is already a history of relationships with patients and the community. He shared his concept of “high touch service” that really encourages and supports that one-on-one relationship with the patient.

The quality conference really was a reminder to me that the BIG things really are the small things…an unexpected cool day, time with good people, a reminder of the many opportunities in rural and the importance of relationships. Oh, and how can I forget…the warm chocolate chip cookies!