Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan has officially joined the Kansas Anchor Hospital Advancement Program (AHAP), a core initiative of the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP).
The hospital is one of 10 regional anchor facilities across Kansas eligible to participate in the program following selection criteria approved by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). These criteria included the clinical capacity to support surrounding communities within a 60-minute driving radius in identified service areas.
"Serving as an Anchor Hospital reflects the deep commitment our care teams have to serving Manhattan and the surrounding region," said Patrick Avila, president of Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan. "By collaborating with our regional partners and integrating new clinical technologies, we will continue to strengthen healthcare delivery and keep advanced care close to home for the families we serve."
During the first year of the program, Anchor Hospitals will focus on four strategic priority areas to reinforce regional care delivery:
- Serving as an operational and clinical consultative resource for rural hospitals in their geographic region.
- Implementing artificial intelligence and electronic health record (EHR) optimization tools to improve patient safety, care coordination and workflow efficiency.
- Expanding remote patient monitoring capabilities by deploying continuous inpatient monitoring wearables to manage recovery and reduce workloads for bedside staff.
- Supporting the development and expansion of rural medical residency programs in high-need clinical specialties to strengthen the healthcare workforce pipeline.
These priorities position Anchor Hospitals as the central hubs for clinical advancement, workforce development and technology modernization across rural Kansas.
As a participating facility, Via Christi will serve on the independent board of directors governing AHAP. The board will help guide ongoing initiatives and determine priorities for future year funding requests. The foundational year of the statewide program is supported by $221.8 million in federal funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
About the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP)
The RHTP is a five-year, statewide initiative designed to strengthen rural health systems through five core initiatives: expanding prevention and population health programs, securing access to primary care, development of a sustainable rural health workforce, support for value-based care models, and increasing use of data and technology. Through these initiatives, there are over 24 programs that will break down this federal grant. Kansas received $221 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to support the first year of the program.
