DALLAS, August 26, 2025 — The landscape of cardiovascular health across the United States reveals a stark disparity between rural and urban populations, with rural Americans facing disproportionately higher risks of stroke and heart disease and experiencing shorter lifespans. Empirical evidence indicates that residents in rural areas are 30% more likely to suffer from stroke and 40% more susceptible to developing heart disease compared to their urban counterparts. These statistics underscore a critical public health challenge that demands urgent, targeted interventions to bridge the gap in healthcare outcomes and ensure equitable cardiac care for all.
Addressing these unsettling disparities, the American Heart Association (AHA) has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming cardiovascular and stroke health in rural communities. The organization announced an extension of its Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator program through June 2028. Since its inception in 2022, this initiative has been a cornerstone effort aimed at improving the quality of cardiovascular care within rural hospitals by fostering adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines and promoting systematic quality improvement.
Fundamentally, the Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator leverages the AHA’s trademark “Get With The Guidelines®” platform, an extensively validated, research-powered approach designed to enhance in-hospital care and patient outcomes through consistent application of the latest scientific recommendations. By facilitating rural hospitals’ participation in this program at no cost, the Accelerator significantly expands access to best practices in cardiovascular disease management, stroke care, and heart failure treatment—conditions that are notoriously prevalent and deadly in rural settings.
A novel aspect of the extended program includes the provision of no-cost enrollment opportunities for new rural healthcare organizations in multiple Get With The Guidelines modules. These modules address coronary artery disease, heart failure, and stroke, with additional access granted specifically to federally designated Critical Access Hospitals for comprehensive participation across all five program areas, including atrial fibrillation and resuscitation protocols. This holistic approach empowers rural hospitals to implement a multidimensional cardiovascular care strategy, supported by ongoing education and peer collaboration.
To further enhance the impact of the Accelerator, the American Heart Association offers participants direct access to a spectrum of resources tailored explicitly for rural clinicians. These include the Rural Community Network—a peer-to-peer support system—along with dedicated Quality Program Consultants who assist hospitals in data validation and completeness, ensuring accuracy in performance measurement. Regular learning collaboratives and quality improvement workgroups provide dynamic platforms for knowledge exchange, skill refinement, and dissemination of emerging research findings relevant to rural healthcare environments.
The program’s tangible results manifest in broad participation and measurable improvements. As of mid-2025, over 430 rural hospitals have engaged in the Accelerator at no cost, contributing to a nationwide total exceeding 1,000 rural hospitals involved in more than 1,500 Get With The Guidelines initiatives. Recognition of quality improvement is evident as well, with more than 650 rural hospitals earning awards in 2025 alone—a nearly 30% rise compared to the previous year—indicating not only greater participation but also enhanced performance in implementing guideline-based care.
The significance of rural hospitals as essential healthcare access points cannot be overstated; they serve over 60 million individuals across varied and often underserved geographic regions. Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chief medical officer for prevention at the AHA, emphasizes that the extension of the Accelerator program embodies the organization’s unwavering dedication to elevating rural cardiovascular and stroke care. This commitment includes providing collaborative opportunities, educational resources, and data-informed strategies integral to improving clinical outcomes and ultimately saving lives.
The extended program also promises several pivotal enhancements. Dedicated quality consultants will intensify support for data integrity, enabling rural hospitals to maintain high standards in documentation and benchmarking. Further advancements are targeted at the Rural Get With The Guidelines registry, with improvements aimed at aligning data reporting and analysis tools with the most current scientific insights, thereby ensuring continued relevance and applicability in rural clinical practice.
In addition to infrastructural and data-related progress, the initiative will introduce the Rural Accelerator Quality Improvement Challenge Scholarship. This competitive award mechanism is designed to recognize and support hospitals that innovate and share model practices at national conferences, fostering a culture of excellence and leadership within rural healthcare systems. The scholarship aims to incentivize ongoing improvements and highlight success stories that can be replicated in similar settings.
The comprehensive nature of the AHA’s approach reflects a deep understanding of the multifactorial challenges faced by rural populations, where factors such as provider shortages, limited access to specialized care, and socio-economic barriers complicate efforts to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. By establishing a robust framework for evidence-based care delivery, coupled with educational and collaborative infrastructure, the Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator seeks to dismantle these barriers through sustainable, scalable interventions.
Finally, the American Heart Association invites healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community stakeholders to learn more about the extended program and its resources by visiting heart.org/ruralaccelerator. This platform serves as a hub for information, tools, and updates essential for driving continued progress and engagement in rural cardiovascular health improvement efforts.
Bold strides such as the Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator exemplify how strategic partnerships and science-driven programs catalyze transformation in healthcare outcomes. In rural America, where the burden of cardiovascular disease remains disproportionately high, such initiatives not only close the gap but also set the stage for a future where equitable, high-quality care is accessible to all, regardless of geography.
Subject of Research:
Cardiovascular health disparities and improvement initiatives in rural populations.
Article Title:
American Heart Association Extends Rural Health Care Outcomes Accelerator to Address Cardiovascular Disparities Through 2028
News Publication Date:
August 26, 2025
Web References:
https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement/rural-healthcare-outcomes-accelerator
https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement/get-with-the-guidelines
References:
American Heart Association issues call to action for addressing inequities in rural health. February 10, 2020.
Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Circulation. 2020;141:e615–e644. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000753
Keywords:
Rural populations, Cardiovascular disorders, Coronary artery disease, Heart disease, Heart failure
