October 12, 2026: Putting Terms & Conditions on RHTP, Negative Margins at Large, and a Rural Emergency Response

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital.

News sources for this episode:

Strata, “Strata Decision Technology’s Performance Trends Report for H1 2026,” https://www.stratadecision.com/resources/report/2026-healthcare-financial-outlook-report.

Lauren Dyrda, “Hospital margins barely keep pace with volume growth: 7 notes,” October 7, 2026, https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/hospital-margins-barely-keep-pace-with-volume-growth-7-notes/, Becker’s Hospital Review.

Maggie Fitzgerald, “'We’re here to save lives' | How a rural hospital mobilized to help 26 patients from the Vienna mass shooting,” October 5, 2026, https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/how-a-rural-hospital-mobilized-to-help-26-patients-from-the-vienna-mass-shooting/93-3911feb7-1772-4ac2-912e-01da554416be, 13 WMAZ.

Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.