Indiana’s Rural Hospitals Get Positive Checkup

Rural Indiana hospitals ranked among the top 10 in the country for high-quality performance and improvement over the past year.

The Health Resources and Services Administration is recognizing 10 states for improving healthcare in their communities, with Indiana ranking ninth.

The agency looked at the performance of Critical Access Hospitals, which are low-volume health care facilities that cater to the needs of rural communities.

In Indiana, low-volume hospitals can face various challenges, including lack of resources and funding. According to the HRSA, 80 rural hospitals closed across the country from 2010 to 2016, 27 of which were critical access hospitals.

Phil Ellis is the network director of Indiana Statewide Rural Health Network. He says critical access hospitals are unique and have maintained their longevity across Indiana.

“When you look at all the other states where hospitals have closed and Indiana has avoided that so far, it just goes to show the overall, across the board, quality of leaders we have in this state.” Ellis said.

Indiana has 35 critical access hospitals, providing 24-hour emergency care. Each facility holds a maximum of 25 beds and has an average annual stay of less than 96 hours.