Aspen Valley Health launches Epic Connect partnership, pioneering new collaboration model for rural hospitals
ASPEN, Colo. (March 16, 2026) — Aspen Valley Health (AVH) has launched a new Epic Connect partnership that could help reshape how independent rural hospitals access advanced healthcare technology while maintaining local governance.
Through Epic’s Community Connect program, Aspen Valley Health will extend its Epic electronic health record platform to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center (HRRMC) in Salida, creating the first collaboration of its kind led by a rural critical access hospital.
The initiative represents a new model of collaboration among independent hospitals—one that Aspen Valley Health leaders describe as “independence through interdependence.”
“In rural healthcare, it’s much harder to achieve the scale that large urban systems rely on,” said Dr. Richard Becker, CEO of Aspen Valley Health. “By working together and sharing infrastructure, independent hospitals can maintain local governance while gaining access to the technology and insights that help us deliver extraordinary care to our communities.”
“It is our responsibility to ensure Aspen Valley Health remains strong, innovative and independent for the long term,” said Dr. Mindy Nagle, chair of the Aspen Valley Health Board of Directors. “This unique partnership brings rural hospitals together to expand access to advanced technology while preserving the local leadership and accountability our community deserves.”
Aspen Valley Health is currently the only critical access hospital in the United States operating its own Epic electronic health record instance—a distinction typically reserved for large health systems. AVH’s system was designed specifically for the workflows and operational realities of small rural hospitals, where staff often serve multiple roles and resources can be limited.
Traditionally, Epic Connect arrangements involve a large health system hosting the platform while smaller hospitals join that system’s environment. Aspen Valley Health’s model reverses that dynamic—with a rural hospital serving as the hub for other rural providers.
“We built this environment specifically for a hospital of our size,” said Michelle Gelroth, Chief Information Officer at Aspen Valley Health. “That means other rural hospitals can adopt a system designed for their reality rather than adapting to infrastructure built for large urban systems.”
For Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, the partnership reflects a careful search for the right collaborator to support its long-term technology needs.
“HRRMC evaluated several organizations to partner with on an Epic implementation,” said John Tucker, CEO of Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. “We have been committed to identifying a partner that understands the needs and priorities of our critical access hospital and outlying clinics that serve a large, diverse group of rural Colorado communities.
“What set Aspen Valley Health apart for us was their collaborative approach and high-achieving goals with Epic use,” Tucker added. “AVH is the first critical access hospital to have its own Epic instance, which not only meets our needs across all locations and service lines, but their professionalism and support through implementation and launch of this instance are invaluable benefits to our organization.”
The Epic platform serves as the technical backbone for a broader network of collaboration among participating hospitals. Beyond shared electronic health records, organizations can collaborate on cybersecurity, analytics, compliance expertise and vendor partnerships.
For small hospitals, those shared capabilities can be transformative.
“Epic has historically been out of reach for many critical access hospitals because of the cost and staffing requirements,” Gelroth said. “This approach makes it attainable while also creating opportunities for hospitals to support one another operationally.”
For patients and providers in Salida and surrounding communities, the system will bring immediate improvements to care coordination and access to information.
“Epic provides a single, integrated electronic health record that will span our entire organization and replace current disparate systems,” said Jesse Kaisner, Information Systems Manager at Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. “This unified system will allow us to improve care coordination, enhance financial and revenue-cycle workflows, reduce manual inputs to increase staff productivity and ultimately improve operational efficiency.”
Because Epic connects healthcare providers across a large national network, the system will also allow clinicians to more easily access and share medical records with other hospitals using the platform.
“Epic represents more than half of all hospital beds in the United States,” Kaisner said. “That means our medical providers will be able to securely access, share and update patient records while communicating more seamlessly with other hospital systems for continuity of care.”
The platform also includes several patient-facing tools designed to improve access and convenience.
All hospital leaders emphasized that Epic’s integrated system will deliver new patient-facing tools, including online appointment scheduling, digital billing and medication reminders—features intended to streamline communication with providers and reduce barriers to care.
The partnership with Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center marks the first step in building what Aspen Valley Health leaders envision as a broader network of like-minded rural hospitals across the region—and potentially nationwide.
By sharing data and expertise across institutions, the network could also help improve healthcare outcomes by allowing rural hospitals to analyze larger patient populations and better understand the unique challenges facing rural communities.
“As this network grows, it gives us the ability to better understand rural health—from access to outcomes—in ways that simply aren’t possible when hospitals are operating in isolation,” Becker said.
Leaders say the model could ultimately strengthen rural healthcare systems while keeping care local.
“When rural hospitals lose their independence, communities often see prices go up, quality go down and access shrink,” Gelroth said. “If we can help hospitals stay strong and independent in their communities, that’s better for patients across the state and beyond.”
With Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center serving as the first partner, Aspen Valley Health expects additional rural hospitals to join the collaborative model in the coming years.
“This is just the beginning,” Becker said. “Our goal is to build a network of independent hospitals that work together to strengthen rural healthcare while remaining rooted in the communities they serve.”
ABOUT ASPEN VALLEY HEALTH
Founded in 1891, Aspen Valley Health is a community-supported, not-for-profit health system serving Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. Recently rebranded from Aspen Valley Hospital to reflect its comprehensive approach to supporting the community's health, Aspen Valley Health provides care through its critical access hospital, level III trauma center and network of providers, clinics and services. The health system is nationally recognized for quality, ranking in the top 95th percentile for inpatient experience, and offers services across 25 fields of medicine, with expanded expertise in orthopaedics and sports medicine through partnership with The Steadman Clinic. For more information, visit aspenvalleyhealth.org.
ABOUT HEART OF THE ROCKIES REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center is a Joint Commission-accredited, Critical Access Hospital and Level IV Trauma Center based in Salida, Colorado. Established in 1885 as the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Hospital, the medical center is now part of a public hospital district encompassing Chaffee, western Fremont and northern Saguache counties. In addition to the hospital, HRRMC manages seven outlying clinics across four counties—a service area spanning over 8,000 sq. miles in central Colorado. The hospital and its outlying clinics offer more than 20 specialty services, so patients may obtain high-quality medical care close to home. To learn more about HRRMC’s providers and services, visit hrrmc.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Aspen Valley Health
Jennifer Slaughter, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer
jslaughter@aspenvalleyhealth.org
970.544.1296
Heart of the Rockies Medical Center
Allison Gergley, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
allison.gergley@hrrmc.net
719.530.2217
