NRHA's Rural Health Voices blog offers informed commentary on the latest news in rural health care from NRHA staff and editorials from selected contributors.

Top critical access hospitals announced

The 20 highest-ranked critical access hospitals (CAHs) in the country, as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Mo. The determining factors for the Top 20 CAHs were based on the results of the Hospital Strength Index and its eight indices of performance: inpatient market share, outpatient...

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How to review your utilization review in 2021

In today’s health care environment, there are so many barriers to success. For critical access hospitals, utilization review is the first (and often the last) line of revenue defense. With strict parameters (< 96 hour stays, high-acuity patients), discerning inpatient versus outpatient status could not be more crucial. Yet critical access and rural hospitals face clear constraints – lean staffing, less technology, limited size – that make utilization without effective...

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NRHA President Pat Schou on community hospital best practices

2020 NRHA President Pat Schou can attest personally, and professionally, that NRHA’s Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conferences are a great source of guidance for community hospitals and more. Schou will kick off the virtual event at 1 p.m. CDT Sept. 22 and conclude Sept. 25, hosting over 70 sessions with over 100 speakers to spark conversation among health care leaders trying to overcome the challenges facing rural America.

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NRHA announces top critical access hospitals

The 20 highest-ranked critical access hospitals in the country, as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, were recently announced by NRHA. The determining factors for the Top 20 CAHs were based on the results of the Hospital Strength Index and its eight indices of performance: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and financial efficiency. An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospital...

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Rural hospital masters what many large hospitals have not

In 2002, Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield, Minn. – population 6,500 – was at risk of joining the growing number of rural hospitals in the U.S. unable to maintain positive profit margins. But a single phone call may have changed Litchfield’s fate. In an era where hospitals of all sizes are struggling to keep up with regulatory changes and shrinking reimbursements while providing high-quality care, – all while delivering quality outcomes and high patient...

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Top Critical Access Hospitals Announced

NRHA is proud to announce the 20 highest-ranked critical access hospitals (CAHs) in the country, as determined by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The determining factors for the Top 20 CAHs were based on the results of the Hospital Strength Index and its eight indices of performance: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspectives, cost, charge, and financial stability. An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospital...

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Generating new revenue with hospital labs

Lost Rivers Medical Center had an amazing turnaround due to CEO Brad Huerta’s innovative pursuit of new partnerships and revenue streams. Lost Rivers’ partnership with InReach Community Dx is an example of the solution Huerta has chosen to successfully turn his laboratory from a cost center into a profit center. InReach develops a sustainable and scalable laboratory outreach program while engaging local health care providers who support the mission to keep local hospitals self...

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Challenges for Physical Therapists in Critical Access Hospitals

Physical therapists (PTs) are often front and center at critical access hospitals (CAH). In these rural settings, PTs must have expansive knowledge and a vast skill set to best meet the needs of patients and caregivers. A PT must know how to function in nearly every setting at a CAH: outpatient, acute, subacute, nursing home, home health, acute rehab facility, inpatient and outpatient psychiatric, emergency rooms, and more while addressing the needs of individuals across the life span.

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Leveraging Business Intelligence in the CAH Setting

With the advent of big data, and health care reform driving organizations to be more efficient and cost effective, business intelligence has become an increasingly popular way to harness the power of data analytics and process improvement. Most critical access hospital management and governing boards would agree that operational data is necessary in today’s environment. Getting to the next level of this discussion, however, is a bit more complicated.   

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