New division drives financial and operational improvements for long-term viability and sustainability in rural healthcare

ATLANTA, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Warbird Healthcare Advisors, a leading consulting firm that serves healthcare organizations nationwide, has launched Warbird RCM Partners, a new division that addresses health systems’ revenue cycle management and billing services to create long-term viability and sustainability, particularly for rural, community and critical access hospitals.  

Warbird RCM Partners strengthens end-to-end operations that most affect financial results and drive measurable growth, specifically handling:  

• Full-service billing and follow-up
• Cash flow acceleration
• Denial mitigation
• Clean claim improvement
• Accounts receivable (AR) cleanup
• Coding and compliance

“More than 57 million Americans rely on rural hospitals for lifesaving healthcare access. These facilities are important; too important to let fail,” said John Behn, President of Warbird RCM Partners. “Local leadership and clinical teams in rural and community healthcare systems work tirelessly to secure resources, improve care delivery, and keep care accessible for their patients, staff, and broader populations, but they face mounting pressures that jeopardize their solvency.

“We built Warbird RCM Partners from what we’ve learned working with these health systems. Our new service tackles the areas that impact day-to-day outcomes, focusing on revenue cycle management and full-service billing solutions that foster stronger business operations.”

Behn cited workforce shortages, rising costs, shrinking reimbursement and increasingly complex patient needs as concerns for nearly all healthcare providers nationally, and he also noted they are particularly critical in rural and community hospitals. Warbird RCM Partners’ team of revenue cycle optimization and central billing office practitioners, complementing Warbird Healthcare Advisors’ established cohort of service lines, will build on the firm’s experience and demonstrated success in stabilizing operations and keeping hospitals and healthcare services open and accessible, especially in remote and rural regions.

“Strong partnerships are essential to the future of rural healthcare, and practitioners who understand the unique financial and operational challenges of rural healthcare are incredibly important,” said Stacey Kuzak, Chief Executive Officer of John C. Fremont Healthcare District. “That’s what we’ve found in Warbird RCM Partners, who have been committed to adapting to our needs, supporting our long-term success and strengthening the financial foundation that allows John C. Fremont to serve our community.”

Critical financial impacts on care delivery and economic growth in rural markets
In its 2026 report, “America’s Rural Hospitals at a Crossroads: Challenges, Consequences and Paths to Sustainability,” the American Hospital Association found:

• Of the more than 1,800 rural hospitals in the United States, more than 40% have negative operating margins, and hundreds are at high financial risk.
• Since 2010, more than 150 rural hospitals have either closed or been converted into medical buildings that offer limited and largely outpatient healthcare options, such as Rural Emergency Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities or primary care offices
• In communities where hospitals remain open, access to care often nevertheless deteriorates, particularly in specialty services such as chemotherapy, surgery and obstetrics and gynecology (OB). In recent years, 331 facilities closed their OB units, and 448 stopped offering chemotherapy.

“We look forward to addressing the economic, regulatory, and demographic challenges that affect margins across the hospital industry and pose particular threats to rural, community, and independent healthcare providers. The statistics in rural healthcare have become dominant talking points nationally, and Warbird has watched with great interest and optimism as the federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) program and other large-scale efforts launch new approaches to mitigate this crisis,” said Rob Kirsch, Managing Partner at Warbird. “But with 417 rural hospitals in this country at risk of closure – with particularly high counts in Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi – it’s clear that focused, innovative and collaborative solutions are also needed.

“Warbird made the investment in Warbird RCM Partners because we’ve seen firsthand how the insights and expertise of our revenue cycle practitioners, working in tandem with those of local hospital leadership, can generate significant financial turnarounds, preserve crucial services and cultivate enduring, successful results.”

Learn more about Warbird RCM Partners at WarbirdHealthcare.com.

About Warbird Healthcare Advisors
For more than 20 years, Warbird Healthcare Advisors has been a leading healthcare advisory firm that partners with organizations nationally to drive sustainable growth and improve performance. Our seasoned practitioners provide strategic advice, financial and operational improvements, and transitional executive leadership solutions. We combine deep industry expertise with practical solutions to help healthcare organizations achieve their financial and operational goals and realize their strategic vision.

Learn more at www.WarbirdHealthcare.com.

Media Contact:
Kristen Van Dusen
Chief Marketing Officer
Warbird Healthcare Advisors
kvandusen@warbirdcp.com

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SOURCE Warbird Healthcare Advisors