Twenty-three rural hospitals in North Dakota have formed what they’re calling the Rough Rider High Value Network.
The hospitals say it’s an initiative to strengthen availability, affordability and quality of care in rural communities.
"It's commonly known that there's a lot health care disparities in rural America," said Towner County Medical Center CEO Ben Bucher. He said there are challenges in getting patients access to care, as well as controlling costs. And Bucher said some of the rural hospitals are close to closing their doors.
"So what this network is going to do is, by becoming inter-dependent on each other, we can have healthier patients, healthier communities, and do it all at a lower cost," Bucher said in an interview.
Bucher said the network members will have a menu of shared services, that he said will promote more efficiency, as well as add some new specialty programs.
