The Chartis Group, an advisory firm, announced it has formed the Chartis Center for Rural Health. Its goal is to offer tailored services and solutions for hospitals and healthcare facilities that care for people in rural settings.

The Chartis Center for Rural Health will use the tools of Chartis’ iVantage Health Analytics and its consultants.

“There are over 2,000 healthcare providers delivering care to the 62 million people living in rural America,” said Ken Graboys, co-founder and CEO of The Chartis Group. “The nation’s rural healthcare providers face a unique set of issues when compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. In establishing the Chartis Center for Rural Health, we are asserting our dedication to partner with U.S. rural providers to collectively advance access, quality and efficiency of care as well as exploring new delivery models as the industry and technology continue to evolve.”

The center will be led by Michael Topchik.

“If we are to advance healthcare delivery across the country, the needs of rural communities and their providers must be addressed,” Topchik said.

The announcement was made in advance of the National Rural Health Association’s Annual Critical Access Hospital Conference held this week in Kansas City, MO.

Chartis has offices in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Portland and San Francisco.