Rural providers must redefine their role in the changing health care s
ystem to include a more integrated approach to health cave delivery. T
he rural provider must develop integrated pathways to coordinate all m
edical, behavior, and social services to ensure that appropriate servi
ces are available, locally or through linkages with other providers, f
or the population. The integrated pathway must manage care across the
continuum of services and coordinate decisions occurring at the point
of service.