The
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) today
announced that Audubon County Memorial Hospital in Audubon,
Iowa, is the 500th facility to be named a critical
access hospital under a program that helps America’s smallest
and most vulnerable rural hospitals.
The
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program provides grants to
states to help stabilize small hospitals and strengthen the
rural health care system. Under the program, Medicare reimburses
hospitals with CAH certification all costs for inpatient and
outpatient services.
The program fosters the development of rural health
networks, strengthens rural emergency medical services providers,
and helps improve the quality of care for rural residents.
“This
program helps bring the world's best medical care to small
hospitals in rural communities,” Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. “It is one piece of our broader strategy for strengthening
the quality of care in rural America.
Last year, I created a department-wide HHS
Rural Task Force which is finding ways to expand and improve
health care and social services in rural America.”
To
date, 47 states have implemented programs making it possible
for small rural hospitals to become CAHs.
“It’s
difficult to maintain hospital staffs and services in many
rural areas,” said HRSA Acting Administrator Elizabeth M.
Duke. “This program
has rescued many hospitals from financial adversity and even
closure.”
The Iowa State Office of Rural Health received funds from HHS’ Health
Resources and Services Administration’s Office
of Rural Health Policy to help Audubon make its conversion
to a critical access hospital. The state grants, under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility
Program, were established by Congress in 1997 and are due
for congressional reauthorization in 2002.
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Note:
HRSA press releases are available on the Web at http://www.hrsa.gov/newsroom.
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