Data: The Foundation of your Hospital's Behavioral Health Impact Story-FREE NO CME-Video

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Video Summary

The session, “Data, the Foundation of Your Hospital’s Behavioral Health Impact Story,” focused on how rural hospitals can use existing data to better communicate the value and impact of behavioral health services to grant funders, boards, and community stakeholders. Speaker Cammie Norland emphasized that hospitals do not have a data shortage; instead, they often need help translating data into a compelling narrative that combines quantitative evidence with qualitative patient stories.<br /><br />She explained that funders want more than activity counts such as screenings, referrals, or trainings. They want to see outcomes: improved access, shorter wait times, fewer transfers, better care transitions, and measurable community benefit. She highlighted useful data sources including CHNAs, PHQ-9 screening results, claims data, HCAHPS, MBQIP, ED utilization, referral delays, and county/state behavioral health statistics.<br /><br />A guest speaker from Manning Regional Healthcare Center, Michelle, shared practical examples of how her hospital uses internal and external data to justify new services, secure grants, and plan for sustainability. Her team tracks data in a mix of EHR pulls, manual spreadsheets, and SharePoint, and uses cost analysis and sustainability planning to ensure new programs can continue after grant funding ends.<br /><br />Key lessons included: start with the need, use multiple data sources, focus on trends and outcomes, avoid collecting unnecessary metrics, and always ask “so what?” The main message was that hospitals already have powerful evidence—they just need to organize it into a story that shows real impact and long-term sustainability.

Keywords

behavioral health

rural hospitals

data storytelling

grant funding

community stakeholders

patient outcomes

healthcare analytics

sustainability planning

PHQ-9 screening

hospital impact