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Bill Finerfrock is one of the co-founders of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), and currently serves as the Executive Director. He also serves as the President of Capital Associates, a bipartisan government relations firm that specializes in health policy.

The NARHC has helped healthcare providers navigate Medicare and billing, among many other things, allowing them to help more people. They advocated for one PA in Michigan, who was having trouble gaining rural certification for his clinic, and as a result, started a conversation among government officials about empowering healthcare providers who are providing greater access to care by going into communities where others won’t to provide care.

“It’s not a national thing. It’s not a huge thing. But to look and know that one community was able to have healthcare because we’re able to intercede and help folks out. I think it was really kind of a neat experience.”

Bill became familiar with rural health while working with the American Academy of Physician Assistants in the late 1980s. Several PAs working in rural health would contact Bill with issues they were facing, and Bill realized how difficult it was to get information and answers. He worked closely with PA Ron Nelson, who was Chairman of the Government Relations Committee for the American Academy of Physician Assistants at the time, and together they formed the NARHC to address this issue.