Article
What launched
On Feb. 18, a group calling itself the National Specialty Care Access Coalition announced it had brought together more than 20 major U.S. health systems, including Dartmouth Health and Intermountain Health, to address specialist shortages in rural and underserved urban communities. It is chaired by Dr. Chethan Sathya of Northwell Health and Dr. Raj Narula, chief executive of Sevaro Health. Other partners include the Children’s Hospital Association, state hospital associations, former CMS leaders and the Center for Telehealth and eHealth Law, with T-Mobile, Sevaro and Samsung as technology collaborators.
The coalition cites a familiar imbalance: nearly 20% of Americans live in rural areas, but only about 9% of physicians practice there. It lists neurology, cardiology, maternal-fetal medicine, critical care, dermatology, surgery and pediatrics among the hardest gaps to fill.
The agenda
The group set three initial priorities:
- Standard care pathways. Develop multispecialty models that rural hospitals and high-need urban systems can adopt without building from scratch.
- Policy recommendations. Publish a white paper urging CMS and state Medicaid agencies to modernize payment, licensing and regulation for virtual and network-based specialty care.
- Faster implementation. Share lessons and run pilots in neurology, cardiology, maternal-fetal medicine, neonatology, critical care and chronic disease management.
Formal work begins in early 2026, and the coalition is inviting more systems to express interest.
Why the timing matters
The launch explicitly ties itself to the Rural Health Transformation Program, which carries more than $50 billion in federal and state investment. States are now deciding how to spend their first awards, and networked specialty care is a natural fit for those plans. Systems that can show a working model, with clear referral pathways and outcomes data, will be better positioned for state grants and partnerships.
For rural hospitals, access to specialists through a larger partner can keep patients local, reduce transfers and support service lines that might otherwise close. For larger systems, it can extend reach and referral relationships without new buildings.
Questions before joining
- Payment. How will virtual specialty consults be reimbursed across Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers in your states?
- Licensing and credentialing. Can your specialists practice across the state lines your market spans?
- Vendor neutrality. The coalition says participation does not imply endorsement of any single platform. Confirm that any pilots fit your existing technology stack.
- Capacity. Do you have specialist time to offer, or would you mainly receive services?
Archive entry for Feb 19, 2026, added Nov. 11, 2026.