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.

Improved access to and quality of care are major drivers behind the formation of a new clinically integrated network involving 23 rural North Dakota hospitals.

Nearly two dozen critical access hospitals in North Dakota have formed a clinically integrated network, bucking the historical trend of rural hospitals seeking acquisitions by larger health systems.