Southern Indiana Business Report
TERRE HAUTE – Indiana Rural Health Association has teamed with Indianapolis law firm Krieg DeVault in order to magnify its impact. “This is a critical time for health care, and we are pleased to now be working with the law firm of Krieg DeVault to help magnify the rural healthcare voice of Indiana and ramp up our already-established advocacy efforts,” said Cara Veale, CEO of the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA).
She noted that, over the past decade, more than 120 rural hospitals across America have closed their doors. Continued severe regulatory and financial challenges are to blame in many cases, Veale continued. “Every Indiana rural hospital faces these challenges every day, and IRHA works tirelessly to help hospitals and clinics in rural areas stay strong and solvent – we look forward to tapping Krieg DeVault’s deep healthcare bench strength in achieving this,” she said.
In addition to the serving on the Governor’s Public Health Commission with other Indiana health care leaders, Veale leads IRHA’s advocacy efforts to inform key community influencers and elected officials about the challenges facing rural Hoosier health care providers and practitioners. Attorneys and health care professionals from Krieg DeVault will now help support and expand those advocacy activities, magnifying the rural health care voice of Indiana.
“We have built what is recognized as one of the most sophisticated teams devoted to health care in the country and have been instrumental in the development of public policies that benefit the health care sector,” said Thomas Hutchinson, a partner with Krieg DeVault and the leader of the firm’s health care practice. “Given our focus on health policy in both the health care and governmental affairs practice groups, Krieg DeVault maintains relationships with key policy makers and advocacy groups as well as staying abreast of policy changes at the state and federal levels, which will provide IRHA with timely information.”
Amy Levander, executive director of Governmental Affairs at Krieg DeVault and leader of the firm’s governmental affairs and advocacy practice will work directly with IRHA in its advocacy activities. “We look forward to engaging our deep policy and advocacy expertise in a variety of critical areas to benefit IRHA members, including our proven experience in telehealth, maternal health, substance use and mental health disorders, as well as our experience in Medicaid and its programs,” she said.
Veale noted that a variety of pressing issues already impact Indiana rural hospitals, practices, providers and medical professionals. These include issues associated with the unwinding of public health emergency rules, health care workforce-related issues at every level, telehealth rules modernization, the capacity of rural health care operations to attract and retain key professionals, and several more. Krieg DeVault will now aid IRHA in addressing these issues.
Providing and sustaining health care operations in rural areas is “substantially different” from health care operations in urban areas, according to Veale. “Helping elected officials and community leaders both positively understand those issues and bringing them together to help build solutions represents a primary IRHA focus,” the CEO said.
In addition to engaging with IRHA as its advocacy partner, Krieg DeVault also formally joined the IRHA Business Partner Network as a major supporter. “Rural health care in Indiana serves upwards of a million Hoosiers,” explained Hutchinson. “It’s important for Krieg DeVault to openly support IRHA in helping to sustain quality and accessible health care across Indiana.”
Both the formal engagement of Krieg DeVault with IRHA and the support of the IRHA Business Partner Network became fully active in May.