Health Systems Launch Coalition to Expand Rural Specialty Care Access

New national coalition aims to address shortages in medical specialist access across rural and underserved urban areas.

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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A new national coalition of over 20 major U.S. health systems has launched to address worsening shortages in access to medical specialists in rural areas and underserved urban communities. The National Specialty Care Access Coalition will focus on standardizing multispecialty care pathways, producing policy recommendations, and accelerating real-world implementation through shared learnings and pilots.

Why it matters

The coalition's launch comes as policymakers and health systems face growing pressure to rethink specialty care delivery, particularly with the introduction of new federal and state investments aimed at rural health transformation. Improving access to specialty care in underserved communities is a critical step in addressing healthcare disparities.

The details

The National Specialty Care Access Coalition is a collaboration of more than 20 major U.S. health systems, convened and chaired by Chethan Sathya, MD, of Northwell Health, and Raj Narula, MD, founder and CEO of Sevaro. The coalition's founding health systems collectively deliver care across rural regions and high-need urban communities nationwide. The group will initially focus on standardizing multispecialty care pathways, producing policy recommendations for CMS and state Medicaid agencies, and accelerating implementation through shared learnings and pilots.

  • The coalition's launch was announced on February 18, 2026.
  • The coalition said it will begin formal work in early 2026.

The players

National Specialty Care Access Coalition

A new national coalition of more than 20 major U.S. health systems launched to address shortages in access to medical specialists in rural areas and underserved urban communities.

Chethan Sathya, MD

Vice president of strategic initiatives at Northwell Health and co-chair of the National Specialty Care Access Coalition.

Raj Narula, MD

Founder and CEO of Sevaro and co-chair of the National Specialty Care Access Coalition.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

The federal agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid, and has introduced the Rural Health Transformation initiative with over $50 billion in new investment.

Children's Hospital Association

One of the thought partners collaborating with the National Specialty Care Access Coalition.

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What’s next

The National Specialty Care Access Coalition said it will begin formal work in early 2026 and plans to invite additional health systems to submit expressions of interest as it expands.

The takeaway

This new coalition represents a collaborative effort by major health systems to address the critical issue of specialty care access in rural and underserved urban areas, leveraging technology-enabled models and policy advocacy to drive meaningful change. Its success could have far-reaching impacts in improving healthcare equity across the country.