Issue Brief 24
Prepared for:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
www.ahrq.gov
Contract Number HHSP233201500022I/75P00119F37006
Prepared by:
Kisha J. Ali, Ph.D., M.S.
MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety, MedStar Health Research Institute, Columbia, MD
Nick J. Galvez, M.B.A., NCCM
North Carolina Office of Rural Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC
Sarah Craig, M.H.A., CRCA
South Carolina Office of Rural Health, Lexington, SC
Michelle Fortune, M.B.A., B.S.N., FACHE
Surgery and Gastroenterology, Mercy Health System, St. Louis, MO
Mark McNemar, D.O., M.B.A.
Missouri Southwest Region, Mercy Health System, St. Louis, MO
Lannette M. Fetzer, M.S., M.S.N., CRNP, FNP-BC, CHC
Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, College of Health and Human Development, University Park, PA
Kezia Alexander, M.P.H.
MedStar Health Research Institute, Columbia, MD
CAPT Amy Chanlongbutra, Sc.D., M.P.H., CHES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD
William Freeman, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD
This project was funded under contract number HHSP233201500022I/75P00119F37006 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The authors are solely responsible for this document’s contents, findings, and conclusions, which do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. Readers should not interpret any statement in this product as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. None of the authors has any affiliation or financial involvement that conflicts with the material presented in this product.
Public Availability Notice. This product is made publicly available by AHRQ and may be used and reprinted without permission in the United States for noncommercial purposes, unless materials are clearly noted as copyrighted in the document. No one may reproduce copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holders. Users outside the United States must get permission from AHRQ to reprint or translate this product. Anyone wanting to reproduce this product for sale must contact AHRQ for permission.
Suggested citation: Ali KJ, Galvez NJ, Craig S, Fortune M, McNemar M, Fetzer LM, Alexander K, Chanlongbutra A, Freeman W. Diagnostic Excellence in U.S. Rural Healthcare: A Call to Action. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2024. AHRQ Publication No. 24-0010-9-EF.