HealthTeamWorks

03/20/2026

How can communities make the most of limited resources while advancing health equity and wellbeing?

This insightful blog from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation highlights three practical principles to help align investments, maximize impact, and support long-term community health—especially in times of uncertainty.

A great read for anyone working at the intersection of healthcare, public health, and community impact.

Read more: https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/blog/2026/02/ensuring-community-investments-boost-health-equity-and-wellbeing.html

These principles can help communities align resources to advance health and collective wellbeing, even when resources are scarce.

03/18/2026

The Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), in partnership with the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) at Harvard Law School, has released the Medically Tailored Meal (MTM) Sustainability Blueprint—a first-of-its-kind national framework designed to support the integration of medically tailored meals into the U.S. healthcare system.
Access the blueprint here: https://fimcoalition.org/mtm-sustainability-blueprint/

03/17/2026

Learn 10 key facts from the new cholesterol guideline on the AHA website, including why lifestyle changes are essential for managing cholesterol and why it’s important to have your cholesterol checked.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/about-cholesterol

03/16/2026

Supporting patients with chronic conditions takes more than clinical expertise, it takes effective communication, coaching skills, and partnership.

Care teams play a critical role in helping patients build the confidence and skills needed to manage their health day-to-day. From recognizing early warning signs to making sustainable lifestyle changes around nutrition, physical activity, and stress management, patient self-management is key to long-term success.

The Clinical Health Coach® v-Fusion Training helps care team members strengthen Motivational Interviewing and person-centered coaching skills to better support patients living with chronic conditions. Through interactive practice and small-group learning, participants learn how to guide meaningful conversations, encourage behavior change, and empower patients to take an active role in their health.

Next cohort: April 22 – September 30, 2026
Learn more and enroll: https://healthteamworks.org/chc-v-fusion/

03/13/2026

There is strong evidence and a growing consensus that greater investment in primary care through value-based models provides teams the resources they need to deliver proactive, whole-person primary care. Unfortunately, administrative burdens discourage primary care participation in new care models that can improve primary care access and comprehensiveness.

In this issue brief, the Primary Care Collaborative explores how policymakers and other decision makers can reduce administrative burdens and streamline participation in value-based models. The brief draws on surveys of the PCC community, expert feedback and existing literature to create concrete recommendations for streamlining primary care’s experience in alternative payment models.
Access the issue brief here:

This PCC issue brief provides solutions for simplifying value-based primary care by reducing administrative burdens.

03/12/2026

One-fifth of Americans age 50 or older live alone, increasing their risk of social isolation and loneliness—factors associated with serious health problems. Hospitals and health systems are partnering with Area Agencies on Aging to address the social needs of older adults and foster stronger social connections. This blog from the American Hospital Association highlights approaches to strengthening social connection, such as social prescribing, shared medical appointments, and virtual reality training for caregivers.
Read the blog: https://www.aha.org/news/blog/2026-02-19-hospitals-and-area-agencies-aging-work-together-advance-social-connection

One-fifth of Americans age 50 or older live alone, increasing their risk of social isolation and loneliness — factors associated with serious health problems including a 50% higher risk of early death.

03/11/2026

A new Kaiser Permanente study suggests that managing high blood pressure may help women with advanced breast cancer live longer. The study found that women who took more than one type of blood pressure drug were much less likely to die than those taking just one type.
Read more: https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/news/managing-blood-pressure-may-change-breast-cancer-outlook

A large study finds lower death rates among women with advanced breast cancer who took more than one drug to treat their high blood pressure.

03/10/2026

In this Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub) podcast interview, Joe Theine, CEO of Southwest Health System in Cortez, Colorado, and Jen Gero, MD, Chief Medical Officer, discuss community-based recruiting and how it helps strengthen and sustain rural health systems.
Listen to the episode: https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/podcast/recruiting-feb-2026

This episode of RHIhub's podcast features an interview with Joe Theine, CEO of Southwest Health System, based in Cortez, Colorado, and Jen Gero, MD, SHS Chief Medical Officer. We learn about how community-based recruiting helps to build a workforce integrated with its patients.

03/09/2026

Rural communities face unique challenges: workforce shortages, limited access to services, and growing care needs. HealthTeamWorks partners with organizations to help rural health systems transform care delivery, strengthen workforce capacity, and expand access to integrated services.

We help organizations implement innovative models of care, redesign workflows, and build stronger clinical–community partnerships that improve patient outcomes and sustainability.

Learn more about how we support rural transformation:
https://healthteamworks.org/performance-improvement/rural-health-transformation-program-support/

Practical Implementation Support for Rural Health System Change Rural Health Transformation Program Support Download our Info Sheet HealthTeamWorks partners with states, rural health systems, primary care practices, community organizations, and workforce programs to design and implement sustainable....

03/06/2026

A new commentary published by Elsevier highlights the important role primary care research plays in improving population health and strengthening health systems.

Equitable research in primary care helps ensure that innovations, policies, and care models truly reflect the needs of patients, communities, and frontline care teams.

As healthcare continues to evolve, investing in primary care research will be critical to improving outcomes and advancing health equity.

Read more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050514325000858

03/03/2026

March is National Nutrition Month®!
Healthy eating plays a critical role in helping older adults manage chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Small, sustainable changes can lead to better outcomes, greater independence, and improved quality of life.

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has compiled practical, evidence-based resources to promote healthy eating among older adults — including tools based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Explore the resources here:
🔗 https://odphp.health.gov/news/202503/national-nutrition-monthr-lets-promote-healthy-eating-older-adults

02/27/2026

On February 24, the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) hosted a discussion on how policymakers can strengthen primary care participation in accountable care organizations (ACOs) to improve outcomes and contain Medicare costs. Learn more and access the recording here:

This PCC webinar explores strategies for how policymakers and industry leaders can encourage primary care to participate in ACOs.