In this episode of the Vurge, host Wendy Hoffman sits down with Lainie Dean, Interim President of UpVia Health, to discuss a new and evolving model designed to strengthen and sustain rural healthcare organizations. Lainie shares her professional background in healthcare strategy and operations and explains how she was brought in by Parkview Health to help launch UpVia Health as a management services organization (MSO) focused on keeping rural hospitals independent, financially stable, and clinically strong. The conversation explores the challenges facing rural and community hospitals, including financial instability, fragmented IT environments, workforce shortages, limited access to specialists, and operational inefficiencies. Lainie explains that extensive market research shaped UpVia’s initial service offerings, prioritizing areas that directly impact hospital sustainability, such as Epic Connect (shared EHR infrastructure), revenue cycle optimization, virtual care, supply chain leverage, and pharmacy services, including 340B and retail pharmacy support. A key theme throughout the discussion is the importance of scale without acquisition. Rather than pushing affiliation or consolidation, UpVia offers an a la carte, flexible services model that allows hospitals to adopt only what they need, when they need it. This approach helps organizations stabilize while remaining locally governed and community‑focused. Wendy and Lainie also discuss how technology, AI, and automation, particularly within the Epic ecosystem, can reduce burden on staff, improve workflows, and expand patient access to care, especially through telehealth and specialist connectivity. By leveraging Parkview’s advanced Epic environment and clinical expertise, smaller hospitals gain access to tools and capabilities that would otherwise be cost‑prohibitive. The episode closes with reflections on culture, leadership, and mindset, emphasizing humility, openness to outside perspectives, and the need to “think differently” in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Lainie positions UpVia Health as a proactive solution—one that intervenes before hospitals reach a crisis point—helping rural communities preserve access to high‑quality care while adapting to the future of healthcare delivery. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and be sure to subscribe to The Vurge for the latest episodes and more. Interested in being a guest on the show? Click here to learn more.
