The Rural Quality Advisory Council informs the work of Rural Quality Improvement Technical Assistance (RQITA), a program of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). Through RQITA, Stratis Health provides technical assistance related to quality reporting and improvement to beneficiaries of FORHP quality initiatives across the country such as grantees, critical access hospitals (CAHs), and other rural providers.

Stratis Health provides technical assistance and develops quality reporting and improvement resources to support CAH success in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) and implementation of chronic illness care initiatives by Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement grantees across the country.

The Rural Quality Advisory Council:

  • Offers advice and counsel on the development of rural-relevant quality improvement goals and metrics and integration into new and existing FORHP-funded programs, as well as use the RQITA program and learnings to help build toward the next iteration of relevant and meaningful rural quality measurement.
  • Provides feedback, guidance, and insight on the development, implementation, and evaluation of the RQITA measurement and improvement strategies.

RQAC meeting summaries

Below are links to a rolling year of meeting summaries from Rural Quality Advisory Council meetings.

Rural Quality Advisory Council 2023

The council is comprised of 15-20 leaders in rural health quality, representing diverse perspectives from across the country.

  • Agnes Attaki, Arizona Center for Rural Health, Arizona
  • Jeffrey Bacon, Banner Health-Sterling Regional Medical Center, Colorado
  • Crystal Barter, Michigan Center for Rural Health, Michigan
  • Brian Burke, Fairview Hospital, Berkshire Health System, Massachusetts
  • Bethany Butler, Electra Hospital District, Texas
  • Barb DeBaun, Cynosure Health, California
  • David Donnahoo, Cascade Medical Center, Idaho
  • Stacey Erickson, Avera Health, South Dakota
  • Nick Lawyer, Clark Fork Valley Hospital, Montana
  • Tillie Martin, Carson Valley Medical Center, Nevada
  • Linda Matessino, Arbor Family Health, Louisiana
  • Shakeerah McCoy, North Carolina Healthcare Association, North Carolina
  • Rochelle Spinarski, Rural Health Solutions, Minnesota

Key Partners

  • Sally Buck, National Rural Health Resource Center (TASC), Minnesota
  • Traici Brockman, Georgia Health Policy Center, Georgia
  • John Gale, University of Southern Maine (FMT), Maine
  • Megan Lahr, University of Minnesota (FMT),  Minnesota
  • Tammy Norville, National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, North Carolina
  • Kristine Sande, Rural Health Information Hub, North Dakota
  • Brock Slabach, National Rural Health Association, Kansas

Staff

  • Jennifer Lundblad, RQITA/Stratis Health, Minnesota
  • Karla Weng, RQITA/Stratis Health, Minnesota
  • Kerri Cornejo, HRSA FORHP, Maryland
  • Mew Pongsiri, HRSA FORHP, Maryland
  • Natalia Vargas, HRSA FORHP, Maryland