{"id":11482,"date":"2026-01-14T10:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T15:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniteustailstg.wpengine.com\/?post_type=press&#038;p=11482"},"modified":"2026-01-22T16:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T21:30:17","slug":"missouris-torch-program-shows-measurable-roi-for-rural-health-in-partnership-with-unite-us","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/press\/missouris-torch-program-shows-measurable-roi-for-rural-health-in-partnership-with-unite-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Missouri&#8217;s ToRCH Program Shows Measurable ROI for Rural Health in Partnership with Unite Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New findings highlight stronger health outcomes and administrative savings statewide; set a standard for strategic Rural Health Transformation Funding (RHTF) initiatives<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">NEW YORK \u2013 January 14, 2026 \u2013\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><u data-stringify-type=\"underline\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Unite Us<\/a><\/u>, the nation\u2019s trusted technology partner for integrating health and community-based care, released results from a\u00a0<u data-stringify-type=\"underline\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/case-study\/lighting-the-torch-transforming-rural-health-in-missouri\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/case-study\/lighting-the-torch-transforming-rural-health-in-missouri\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">new evaluation<\/a><\/u>\u00a0of Missouri\u2019s\u00a0<u data-stringify-type=\"underline\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/mydss.mo.gov\/mhd\/ToRCH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/mydss.mo.gov\/mhd\/ToRCH\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH)<\/a><\/u>\u00a0program. Supported by Missouri Medicaid and powered by Unite Us infrastructure,\u00a0<u data-stringify-type=\"underline\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/torch\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/torch\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">the ToRCH program<\/a><\/u>\u00a0demonstrates how hospital-led, community-based care coordination can improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and mitigate administrative burden to help residents thrive across rural communities.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through ToRCH, rural hospitals serve as regional hubs that connect patients to critical community services addressing non-medical drivers of health, including food access, transportation, housing, and more. Across six participating counties, the program has already generated measurable results:\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>99% <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">invoice acceptance rate<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>18% <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increase in timely behavioral health follow-up after emergency department visits<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>19.6%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> increase in individuals with controlled blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>17 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">minutes saved per referral<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRural health funding gives communities the chance to stop thinking in short-term fixes and start building for the future,\u201d said Taylor Justice, CEO and Co-Founder of Unite Us. \u201cToRCH shows what\u2019s possible when underfunded communities pair ingenuity with the right infrastructure. Missouri is proving that rural communities can cut costs and reduce inefficiencies, while building sustainable capacity that delivers value across the entire system.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>A Blueprint for Scalable Rural Health Innovation<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With rural health funding recently awarded via the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), the ToRCH program offers a replicable blueprint for states committed to optimizing their rural health funding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The program,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> referenced by CMS as an example in the RHTP applications, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">demonstrates how rural communities can use data and technology to align incentives, leverage existing funding streams, and empower hospitals to integrate community care models in a sustainable way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>An Innovative Model for Rural Care Coordination<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since July 2024, six ToRCH hub hospitals have coordinated care for nearly<\/span><b> 2,800 individuals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the Unite Us platform, connecting them to <\/span><b>more than 900 community services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Sixty-six percent of referral activity was initiated directly by hub hospitals, reinforcing their role as anchors for cross-sector collaboration in rural settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTo hear the stories of the participants\u2019 lives who have been impacted in a positive way\u2014improving their health while also improving the financial health of the Missouri Medicaid program\u2014that\u2019s been very gratifying for my team,\u201d said Kirk Mathews, Chief Transformation Officer at MO HealthNet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Technology Driving Efficiency, Accountability, and Compliance<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond improving patient care, the ToRCH program demonstrates how centralized technology can reduce administrative complexity for providers and states alike. Survey results further underscore the model\u2019s impact: <\/span><b>88% of respondents agreed that ToRCH improves overall patient care<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and a majority reported <\/span><b>reduced stress<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> related to documentation and follow-up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The full case study,\u00a0<b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">Lighting the ToRCH: Powering Rural Health Transformation through a Hospital-Led Hub Approach<\/i><\/b>, is available today. Read it\u00a0<u data-stringify-type=\"underline\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/case-study\/lighting-the-torch-transforming-rural-health-in-missouri\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/case-study\/lighting-the-torch-transforming-rural-health-in-missouri\/?utm_medium=press_release&amp;utm_campaign=ToRCH&amp;utm_content=text_link\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">here<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11483,"template":"","categories":[134],"states":[],"topic":[89,130,79],"class_list":["post-11482","press","type-press","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press","press_cat-company-news","topic-medicaid-innovation","topic-roi","topic-rural-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ 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