This is the third in a series of Insights posts exploring rural healthcare transformation. 

A large part of health is shaped in the space between formal clinical encounters, when people are back home managing medications, symptoms, transportation, cost, family responsibilities, technology barriers, and the realities of daily life. That is especially true across rural America.

As we begin this new adventure called Rural Health Transformation, it's worth noting that important steps are being taken now. Each state is planning for what comes next, and each is doing it in diverse ways. One thing is certain. The moment when “rural” care is developed, and decided upon, will take place long before any patients receive care. 

Not at the bedside. Not at the pharmacy counter. Not even at discharge.