Gunnison Valley Hospital
 

Gunnison Valley Hospital Recognized As Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in America

Gunnison Valley Health recently received notification from The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) that the local hospital qualifies as one of the country’s Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals. A total of 1,350 rural hospitals throughout the United States are designated as critical access facilities; there are currently 29 Critical Access Hospitals in the state of Colorado, but only two, Gunnison Valley Hospital and Aspen Valley Hospital, have been recognized as being in the nation’s Top 100.

In this first-ever ranking of Critical Access Hospitals, each participating hospital was graded according to the newly created Hospital Strength Index™, an independent tool adopted by the NRHA as a means of achieving improved performance of rural Critical Access Hospitals and meeting the requirements of the Accountable Care Act. The Hospital Strength Index™ compares 56 different measures of performance to help identify those hospitals that are best prepared for success under healthcare reform. The Index includes a unique set of measures grouped into three categories: Market Strength, Value-based Strength and Financial Strength.

According to Gunnison Valley Health’s CEO, Randy Phelps, “This recognition is a tribute to the physicians who chose to practice at Gunnison Valley Health and the capable healthcare professionals who are dedicated to individual and community wellness. I am incredibly proud that the quality of our care, our customer service and our clinical outcomes are being recognized for bringing value to Gunnison County. It is also rewarding to see that the scope of services we offer have created a strong market position. All of these factors lead to a solid financial position which helps to ensure a positive future in this troubled economic time, which is especially important when you consider that our hospital is one of the few in Colorado that does not receive tax support.”

Rural hospitals provide a safety net of emergency, primary and specialty care in communities that do not have ready access to metropolitan hospital centers. Critical Access Hospitals are those in rural communities where the loss of the facility would create hardship for residents and thus receive slightly higher Medicare reimbursements than hospitals in metropolitan areas. To receive certification, a facility must be located either more than 35 miles from the nearest hospital or more than 15 miles in areas with mountainous terrain or only secondary roads, furnish 24-hour emergency care services using either on-site or on-call staff, and provide no more than 25 inpatient beds. Each year, more than 62 million Americans rely on the essential services provided by rural hospitals such as the Gunnison Valley Hospital.

“The Hospital Strength Index™ really recognizes those rural, critical access facilities that are performing in the top 25 percent and since the recognition is based on the elements of healthcare that will be required under health reform we see this as an endorsement that we are on the right path for the future. Gunnison Valley Hospital is in some pretty impressive company, such as Mayo Health System’s Springfield & Red Cedar medical centers and Intermountain Healthcare’s Heber Valley Medical Center. We are also pleased to share this honor with our colleagues at Aspen Valley Hospital and congratulate them on their achievement” says Phelps.