Topics: Critical Access Hospitals

For more information and resources, see RHIhub’s Critical Access Hospitals topic guide.

Rural Health Philanthropy Partnership: Leveraging Public-Private Funds to Improve Health

Public agencies and private non-profit groups have mutual interests in improving the health of rural Americans. The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and philanthropy organizations worked together to create a unique funding opportunity, the Rural Health Care Coordination Network Partnership Program. Two health care organizations and their philanthropy partners share how coordinated efforts benefit patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Resistant bacteria, or “superbugs,” are a cause of major medical illness and death. Government and accreditation agencies, as well as infectious disease experts, believe hospital antibiotic stewardship programs are the answer to blunting the impact and development of these germs. Despite limited resources, rural and Critical Access Hospitals are activating their stewardship programs.

Due to barriers like cost and staffing, many rural healthcare facilities’ information systems are susceptible to malware attacks such as ransomware. South Peninsula Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Homer, Alaska, uses an IT staff of six to monitor threats and train coworkers on how to safeguard their hospital’s information.

First conceptualized in the 1970s, but not widely adopted in rural communities, freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs) have been getting another look as a sustainable rural option. This article discusses hospital-based versus independent FSEDs, the model’s financial viability, and highlights two FSEDs meeting their communities’ healthcare needs in Arizona and Illinois.

Since its start, the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network has designed services to meet the needs of rural hospitals across the state. Through leveraging FORHP funds and their partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health, ICAHN has helped 54 hospitals transition from competition to collaboration.

Money, distance, and lack of education are just a few barriers between rural Americans and nutritious food. Find out how a Critical Access Hospital, a prescription program, and a research project are creating tangible examples of how to promote nutrition and increase patients’ access to healthy food.

The shared CEO of both a North Dakota Critical Access Hospital and a Federally Qualified Health Center discusses how these two essential safety net providers work together to meet the healthcare needs of their rural region.

Hospital Quality: Tough Issue!

Discusses whether quality measures and patients’ wishes may be at odds, and how that affects the perception of whether rural hospitals provide quality care.

Through advanced technologies, hospitals are offering new services, strengthening their bottom lines and keeping patients closer to home.

Syringa Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Idaho’s frontier region, has twice been recognized as one of the nation’s “Most Wired Hospitals.”

The Rural Monitor

Articles and resources on key rural health issues, from the Rural Health Information Hub

Topics: Critical Access Hospitals

Strategies for Superbugs: Antibiotic Stewardship for Rural Hospitals

Cybersecurity: How a Rural Alaska Hospital is Safeguarding Its Patients’ Information

Freestanding Emergency Departments: An Alternative Model for Rural Communities

Illinois Network Puts Hospitals’ Needs First

Providing Patients with Access to Nutritious Food

An Interview with Darrold Bertsch

Hospital Quality: Tough Issue!

Technology Widens Care Options for Rural Hospitals

Small Idaho Hospital Achieves “Most Wired” Status

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