Webinar: How Rural Hospitals Can Tackle Uncertainty and Achieve Success

Population changes, economic shifts and technological trends exacerbate the challenge of delivering quality affordable healthcare in rural communities. Join Nancy Dickey, M.D., and Bree Watzak, PharmD, of the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH) and Matthew Walker, PharmD, CEO of William Bee Ririe Hospital, to learn how hospital leaders can meet rural communities’ healthcare needs.

Topics to be discussed include:

• Care delivery best practices
• Maximizing revenue to support sustainable care
• Using technology to enhance efficiency
• Optimizing facilities and operations

Nancy W. Dickey, M.D.
Principal Investigator
Center for Optimizing Rural Health

After nearly 12 years as president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) and vice chancellor for health affairs for the Texas A&M University System, Dr. Nancy W. Dickey returned to the College of Medicine, where she holds several academic and administrative roles. She currently serves as executive director of the Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute (ARCHI), which houses the Center for Optimizing Rural Health (CORH). Dr. Dickey’s expertise and leadership as principal investigator at CORH enables the organization to help hospitals improve outcomes, reduce costs, and increase access to care in rural communities across the country. Dr. Dickey is a national expert on patient safety, quality of care, and physician excellence and helps demonstrate the importance of translating sound policy and evidence-based medicine across the spectrum of practice sites and care delivery. She was the first woman elected president of the American Medical Association and the recipient of six honorary doctorate degrees and numerous awards, including the American Academy of Family Medicine’s John G. Walsh Award for Lifetime Contributions to Family Medicine (2019). She was also inducted into the Institute of Medicine (2007) and Texas’s Women’s Hall of Fame (2010). 
 

Matthew Walker, PharmD, MHA
Chief Executive Officer
William Bee Ririe Hospital

Matthew Walker, PharmD, MHA, is the chief executive officer of William Bee Ririe Hospital (WBRH) in Ely, Nevada, a position he has held since 2015. He first joined the hospital in 2010 as pharmacy director and previously served as a pharmacist. Under Walker’s leadership, WBRH has worked to improve the care of Nevada residents. For example, in February 2017, the hospital implemented telehealth technology to provide neonatology support for newborns who need critical care. Walker received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Idaho State University, a Master in Healthcare Administration from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Brigham Young University - Idaho.
 

Bree Watzak, PharmD, BCPS
Director of Technical Assistance
Center for Optimizing Rural Health

As Director of Technical Assistance for the Center for Optimizing Rural Health, Bree Watzak spends her time working with rural communities to improve the quality of care, maintain access to care, and address the challenges unique to rural hospitals and the communities they serve. Watzak has been a pharmacist since 2008, and she joined the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) in 2011. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Houston and completed residency training at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. She has been active in the A&M Rural and Community Health Institute's (ARCHI) Peer Review, their Opioids Assessment-Training-Monitoring Program, Team Communication Courses, and several other contracts. Watzak is the pharmacist on the Patient Safety Organization (PSO) #79 team, listed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). 
 

Adam Rubenfire
Custom Content Strategist
Modern Healthcare

Adam Rubenfire is Modern Healthcare's Custom Content Strategist. He is responsible for the development of webinars, white papers and other engaging content for marketers looking to target the healthcare industry. Prior to his current role, he served as Modern Healthcare's supply chain reporter. His work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Automotive News and Crain's Detroit Business.
 

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