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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Read MoreDiscusses whether quality measures and patients’ wishes may be at odds, and how that affects the perception of whether rural hospitals provide quality care.
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Through advanced technologies, hospitals are offering new services, strengthening their bottom lines and keeping patients closer to home.
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Syringa Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital in Idaho’s frontier region, has twice been recognized as one of the nation’s “Most Wired Hospitals.”
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A Critical Access Hospital has engineered a restructuring that puts it and seven rural clinics under one corporate umbrella.
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