Rural Health
News by Topic: Critical Access Hospitals
Apr 23, 2026 - Announces the National Rural Health Association's top 20 Critical Access Hospitals as well as 40 hospitals receiving best practice designations for either quality of care or patient perspective of hospital performance. Award winners will be recognized at the NRHA Critical Access Hospital Conference in September.
Source: National Rural Health Association
Mar 18, 2026 - Describes proposed legislation aiming to increase access to healthcare for veterans in rural areas. A 5-year pilot program would create a preauthorization pathway for outpatient services for veterans within 35 miles of a Critical Access Hospital.
Source: Office of Senator Kevin Cramer
Mar 10, 2026 - Highlights the increased cost of healthcare for rural Vermont residents due to Medicare reimbursement policy for Critical Access Hospitals. Notes that policymakers are investigating solutions that equitably distribute cost while supporting CAHs that may be negatively impacted by budget changes.
Mar 6, 2026 - Profiles a labor and delivery department in a rural North Carolina Critical Access Hospital. Maternity services were re-started in 2020 using family physicians after closing the department in 1991. Describes maternity care access across North Carolina, challenges with sustaining the service for rural communities, and how they can be a model to other rural communities.
Source: North Carolina Health News
Feb 26, 2026 - Announces a bipartisan bill that would create a new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital designation called an "In Character" Critical Access Hospital. The new designation would ensure hospitals already designated as CAHs do not lose their designation and directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide administration for the designation.
Source: Office of Representative Glenn Thompson