Top 100 rural hospitals named, along with top 100 critical-access hospitals, rural by definition

The National Rural Health Association's Rural Health Policy Institute, iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health have announced the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals, says a news release. By definition, critical-access hospitals are in rural areas.

Michael Topchik, national leader of The Chartis Center for Rural Health, said, “Measuring performance is central to improving the quality of healthcare and the performance of these top hospitals shows that, while greatly challenged, health leaders in rural can excel in the transition from volume to value. In fact, our research shows that these practice leaders share key attributes that dovetail with the CMS-driven shift to value, showing that rural hospitals can offer the best quality care at the lowest cost.”