July 24, 2026
The President’s Message is published in the MHA Weekly News Report, a member-only publication of the Montana Hospital Association. To subscribe, click here.
The MHA Board of Trustees recently gathered in Helena for our 2026 Strategic Planning Retreat — two days dedicated to stepping back from day-to-day operations to chart the association’s direction for the year ahead. I want to share a recap of what we covered and where we’re headed.
The agenda was full. GovernWell presented findings from our recent Member Engagement Survey and confidential Board interviews, offering a candid look at how members experience MHA’s value. The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) featured prominently, with Program Director Michelle McNamee and Program Manager Amanda Eby walking the Board through recent milestones — including CMS’s positive feedback on our state’s approach, the newly seated Center of Excellence Advisory Council, and progress on the $233.5 million in RHTP funding awarded to Montana for federal fiscal year 2026.
We also introduced the Montana RHTP Implementation Team (MRIT), the group that will serve as the bridge between DPHHS and providers as implementation ramps up. Rounding out the agenda were briefings on the state’s fiscal outlook heading into the 2027 legislative session (revenues are up and the state budget is projected to be running in the black — better than projected earlier this year), the rollout of the newly revised value-based care model Primary Care Montana, and — a highlight for many — introductions from candidates for Montana’s U.S. Senate and House seats ahead of next year’s session.
One of the most valuable parts of the retreat came from the Member Engagement Survey results themselves. The data sparked real dialogue about association value — and surfaced an important disconnect: many of you utilize more MHA services than you may realize, but don’t always connect that usage back to the association. That’s a call to action for us. Expect to see more from MHA on better educating and engaging members around the full breadth of what your membership provides.
Out of these two days, the Board aligned on the following strategic priority areas for the year ahead:
- RHTP stewardship and execution — ensuring disciplined implementation and fiscal accountability as funding flows to Montana facilities.
- 2027 legislative priorities — ensuring success on MHA’s advocacy agenda for the upcoming Montana legislative session and on the federal level, with particular focus on protecting the 340B drug pricing program and pushing back on harmful insurer practices, including barriers to access created by some Medicare Advantage plan behaviors.
- Strengthening operational excellence of the Association — sharpening our governance practices, performance measurement, and data systems so the association is as effective internally as it is on your behalf externally.
Retreats like this one matter because they force us to look beyond the next quarter and ask what will serve Montana’s hospitals five years from now. I’m grateful to our Board for their time, candor, and commitment, and to all of you who contributed to the survey that shaped so much of our conversation. I’ll keep you updated as this work progresses.