This is a period of rapid change in the healthcare landscape, and at Citizens Memorial Hospital we are going through an exciting time of intense transformation and rapid growth in response. In 2026 alone, we opened a brand-new hospital, launched a new dialysis center, and acquired an oncology center. All of that is in addition to our 34 primary and specialty clinics, seven long-term care facilities, and multiple specialized trauma and stroke centers.
We’re proud of what we’ve done, but we know evolution never really stops. Staff burnout, a challenge for so many healthcare organizations, is top of mind for us too, and we know new technologies can sometimes exacerbate that very issue. As we continue to plan for the future, we know we need a “North Star” in building our governance so we make sure we’re using technology in smart, deliberate ways. Namely, to tackle workforce shortages and healthcare demands right here, right now in ways that set us up for success in the future.
The Dreamers
To pull this off, we realized effective leadership demands more than a single perspective. We created a deep, structural partnership that brings together physicians, administrators, and IT professionals. We affectionately call this committee "The Dreamers." By bringing leaders with unique expertise into a unified decision-making core, we avoid the problem of IT driving decision-making without true collaboration across the organization. The Dreamers tackle complex challenges from multiple critical angles simultaneously, balancing operational realities with clinical insights. We harness everyone’s knowledge to make the best decisions we can. This intertwined teamwork ensures our initiatives make a real impact across our entire organization and always put the patient first.
As we look ahead, we’re focusing on three main technology-driven goals.
Addressing No-Show Rates
When we asked our physicians what we needed to fix first, they immediately pointed to the impacts of no-shows. Missed appointments create lost opportunities, delaying care for patients and costing us revenue in the face of ever-tightening margins.
In response, we built automated SMS communications that seamlessly integrate with our MEDITECH EHR. Patients can now cancel their appointments via a quick text message. The system automatically updates the MEDITECH schedule and instantly texts the next eligible patient on the waitlist.
This automation drives some major, real-world improvements:
Patients save an average of 27 days when they accept an automated waitlist offer.
20% of patients who need to reschedule now do so seven or more days before their visit.
Over 50 patients accept waitlist offers every single month, and that number keeps growing.
Eliminating Operational Inefficiencies
Looking ahead also means asking big questions about what might be possible. For example, we wondered: if we take away tedious administrative work, can we reimagine more meaningful and impactful roles for staff? For example, if we move folks who spend all day working the fax backlog into direct clinical support roles, might we take a massive burden off our physicians?
Paper forms, e-faxes, and endless phone tag were slowing down our entire operation. So we’ve implemented automated forms and smart faxes to extract data automatically, write it directly back to MEDITECH, and free up valuable time for our doctors. By eliminating these annoying roadblocks to productivity, we let our staff spend their time doing the meaningful work that only they can do.
Bringing in New Patients
In an increasingly consumer-focused world, we’re also embracing a consumer-focused approach to rethink the patient journey. That means working to meet our community where they are. As a rural hospital, we need to provide care that feels more personal than a “big box” health system experience. At the same time, we want to keep our digital front door just as consumer-friendly and modern as the national players.
To support this patient-first approach, we’re leaning heavily into modern digital touchpoints. For example:
- Patients now schedule directly from Google My Business search results, which lets us capture demand the second someone looks for care.
- We now utilize conversational AI on our phone lines to seamlessly handle things like cancellations, directions, and other basic details that used to take up significant staff time.
Moving Forward
By collaborating across the organization to create strict governance around the “hows” and “whys” of modernization, we can prioritize the strategic changes that move the needle the most in our specific, rural community. It also allows us to thoughtfully respond to the fast-paced changes happening in the healthcare world today, ensuring CMH remains the top choice for healthcare in our region.
Learn more about how MEDITECH works for rural healthcare organizations in our free eBook.
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