Midwest Market Overview | Featuring Bec Söll, Regional Vice President of Sales, Midwest Region
Hospitals across the Midwest are at an inflection point—and they’re discovering how targeted specialty services can stabilize finances and keep care within driving distance.
In rural communities across the upper midwest, hospitals are fighting a familiar battle: aging populations, shrinking workforces, and an uphill financial climb. But with the right partnerships, many are finding a sustainable path forward—one rooted in maximizing their existing capacity and delivering high-impact specialty care.
One person driving this momentum is Bec Söll, newly promoted Regional VP of Sales at Vantage Surgical Solutions. With a clinical background spanning from EMT to RN, working in surgical services, ER, ICU, and Med-Surg—and a lifelong connection to rural healthcare—Bec brings both expertise and empathy to the hospitals she supports.
“I understand how hard it is to keep doors open and patients local in today’s rural healthcare landscape,” says Bec. “That’s why I love what we do at Vantage—we meet hospitals where they are and help them grow with the resources they have.”
A Snapshot of the Midwest’s Rural Healthcare Reality
- Physician shortages are severe—especially in primary care and emergency medicine—leading to care delays, closures, or patient diversions. Kansas and Nebraska are particularly hard-hit.
- Financial fragility is stark. In Kansas alone, up to 87% of rural hospitals operate in the red, straining community access and long-term viability.
- Medicaid non-expansion in states like Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming intensifies revenue gaps, increasing pressure on hospitals to find cost-effective, sustainable models.
- Infrastructure challenges, from long travel distances to sparse broadband, limit access to telehealth and other technology-based solutions.
These challenges aren’t just logistical—they’re personal. Patients in rural areas are going without critical specialty services like cataract surgery and GI screenings, leading to preventable complications, travel burdens, and delayed diagnoses.
Bec’s Perspective: What Rural Hospitals Need Most Right Now
At recent events like the National Rural Health Association Conference and the Wisconsin and Nebraska Rural Health Conferences, Bec and the Vantage team have heard a consistent message from hospital leaders:
“We can’t keep losing patients—and revenue—just because we don’t have the staff or capital to launch a new service.”
That’s exactly where Vantage steps in.
By bringing high-demand procedures like cataract surgery and GI screenings directly into existing OR space—without adding overhead or investing in new infrastructure—Vantage is helping hospitals capture revenue, reduce outmigration, and serve their communities with dignity and efficiency.
One rural hospital, for example, generated $828K in annual revenue just by adding a monthly cataract surgery program. Learn more about how we are helping Rural Hospitals create a healthier bottom line in this informative recording of our NRHA webinar.
Where to Find Us Next
Bec and the Midwest team are actively supporting hospitals in all eight states of the region and will be on the ground at:
- Kansas Hospital Association Annual Conference – September 4–5, Wichita
- NRHA Rural Health Clinic & Critical Access Hospital Conferences – September 23–26
- Rural Health Association of Utah Conference – November 12–13
- Oklahoma Hospital Association CONNECT – November 19–21
Let’s Talk About What’s Possible
Whether you’re exploring how to launch new service lines or simply trying to keep your OR schedule full, Vantage is here to help you build a solution that works with the team and resources you already have.
Because rural healthcare can’t wait—and neither can your patients.
About Bec
Bec Söll RVP
Bec Söll grew up in rural Iowa, built five family-run businesses, and spent 20 years on the front lines of healthcare—from EMT to RN, working in surgical services, ER, ICU, and Med-Surg. Now, as Regional VP of Sales for the Midwest, she brings heart, hustle, and hands-on experience to every hospital she supports. She knows the realities rural teams face because she’s lived them—staffing shortages, tight margins, and doing more with less. Her goal is simple: help rural hospitals grow stronger and deliver specialty care close to home.
When she’s not on the road with her team, you’ll find her on stage with her band, hiking with her kids and two German Shepherds or cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs. Read more about Bec’s recent promotion to RVP of Sales HERE.