Minnesota Hospitals Positioned to Strengthen Rural Care Through Rural Health Transformation Opportunities

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Avel eCare Highlights Virtual Health System Approach to Support Workforce Stability, Specialty Care Access and Long-Term Sustainability

SIOUX FALLS, SD / ACCESS Newswire / May 13, 2026 / As healthcare organizations across Minnesota continue addressing workforce shortages, chronic disease management, and growing financial pressures in rural communities, new federal and state rural health transformation initiatives are creating opportunities for hospitals to strengthen care delivery through innovative partnerships and virtual care infrastructure.

Avel eCare, the nation's leading Virtual Health System, is working alongside rural hospitals and healthcare organizations to help expand access to specialty expertise, strengthen workforce support, and improve long-term operational sustainability through integrated telemedicine services.

With more than 30 years of experience delivering virtual care, Avel eCare supports healthcare organizations across 46 states through a comprehensive clinician-to-clinician telemedicine model designed to support patients and providers throughout the full continuum of care.

Supporting Rural Transformation Through Virtual Health Infrastructure

As Minnesota healthcare organizations evaluate Rural Health Transformation Program opportunities and other federal funding initiatives focused on strengthening rural healthcare access, Avel eCare provides both the operational support and virtual care infrastructure necessary to help organizations successfully implement and sustain these programs long term.

Avel's Virtual Health System can serve as a strategic implementation partner and vendor resource for healthcare organizations pursuing transformation funding, helping hospitals establish scalable virtual care programs that support compliance, workforce stabilization, specialty access, and care coordination requirements.

Unlike standalone telehealth solutions focused on a single service line, Avel's model integrates virtual support throughout multiple stages of care delivery, including:

• Emergency and trauma telemedicine support

• Inpatient and ICU virtual care

• Hospitalist services

• Behavioral health services

• Virtual Pharmacy Services

• EMS telemedicine in the field

• Specialty consultations

• Senior care support

This integrated approach helps rural healthcare organizations create more sustainable systems of care while supporting clinicians, improving patient access, and reducing unnecessary transfers outside the community.

"Avel was built specifically to support healthcare organizations facing access and workforce challenges," said Dr. Kelly Rhone, Chief Medical Officer at Avel eCare. "Our Virtual Health System is designed to strengthen the local care team, provide specialty expertise when and where it is needed, and help hospitals create sustainable models that continue well beyond the initial funding period."

Expanding Specialty Access and Supporting Chronic Disease Care

As chronic disease management becomes an increasing focus within rural healthcare transformation efforts, virtual specialty support continues to play an important role in helping rural communities connect patients to timely care without requiring extensive travel outside their local region.

Avel's clinician-to-clinician telemedicine model allows rural providers to collaborate directly with board-certified physicians, experienced nurses, pharmacists, and specialists to support patient care locally whenever appropriate.

The organization's Virtual Health System approach is designed not to replace local clinicians, but to extend and strengthen the existing workforce while helping organizations maintain high-quality care standards across rural communities.

Strengthening Financial Stability for Rural Healthcare Organizations

Healthcare organizations across the country continue facing mounting operational and staffing pressures, particularly in rural areas where recruiting specialists and maintaining around-the-clock coverage can be difficult and costly.

Avel's telemedicine model helps reduce reliance on expensive locum tenens staffing and contract labor while improving workforce support during high-acuity cases, overnight coverage, and staffing shortages.

The model also helps preserve hospital revenue by keeping more patients in-house when appropriate instead of transferring patients out of the community for higher levels of care. In many cases, healthcare organizations can also assign billing rights for consultative services, improving financial flexibility and helping create more predictable operational models.

Avel's history of supporting grant-funded and transformation-focused healthcare initiatives has demonstrated long-term sustainability, with many programs continuing well beyond their original funding periods due to measurable operational and clinical value.

A Proven Virtual Health System for Rural Communities

Founded in 1993 as the nation's first virtual hospital, Avel eCare has spent more than three decades helping healthcare organizations expand access to care while strengthening local healthcare delivery systems.

Today, the organization continues supporting rural and underserved communities through innovative telemedicine services designed to improve outcomes, stabilize workforce challenges, and ensure patients can receive high-quality care close to home.

Hospitals and healthcare organizations interested in learning more about Avel eCare's Virtual Health System services and rural healthcare transformation support can visit https://www.avelecare.com/rural-health/.

About the Rural Health Transformation Program

The Rural Health Transformation Program is part of a broader national effort to strengthen healthcare access, workforce sustainability, and financial stability for rural and underserved communities. Supported through federal- and state-level initiatives, these programs are designed to help hospitals and healthcare organizations modernize care delivery, improve chronic disease management, expand specialty access, and develop long-term operational sustainability strategies. Virtual care infrastructure, workforce support models, and innovative care partnerships are increasingly recognized as key components in helping rural healthcare organizations meet transformation goals while maintaining access to high-quality care close to home.

Additional information about national rural health transformation and rural healthcare funding initiatives can be found through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy:

US Department of Health and Human Services:

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/cms-rural-health-transformation-program-50-billion.html

Center for Medicare and Medicaid:

https://www.cms.gov/priorities/rural-health-transformation-rht-program/overview

Rural Health Information Hub Grant Opportunities for Minnesota:

https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/states/minnesota/funding

About Avel eCare

Founded in 1993 as the nation's first virtual hospital, Avel eCare provides virtual emergency, EMS, critical care, pharmacy, clinic, senior care, and behavioral health services to healthcare partners across the U.S. The organization specializes in expanding access, improving outcomes, and supporting care delivery in rural and underserved communities.

Contact:

Jessica Gaikowski, Director of Marketing & Communications

[email protected] | 605.606.0150

SOURCE: Avel eCare