In an amazing accomplishment, four of the top 20 rural community hospitals in the nation are located in South Dakota, a feat no other state achieved.
Avera Queen of Peace Hospital in Mitchell, Avera St. Luke’s Hospital in Aberdeen, Avera St. Mary’s Hospital in Pierre and Prairie Lakes Health Systems in Watertown were all named in the top 20 list by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).
The ranking included prospective payment system (PPS) hospitals across the country and was based on an evaluation conducted by The Chartis Center for Rural Health using iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The determining factors for the top 20 rural community hospitals were based on eight indices: Inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and financial stability.
NRHA is a national nonprofit membership organization with more than 20,000 members. The association’s mission is to provide leadership on rural health issues.
The 2018 top 20 rural community hospital winners, in alphabetical order, are:
- Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Mitchell, South Dakota;
- Avera St. Luke’s Hospital, Aberdeen, South Dakota;
- Avera St. Mary’s Hospital, Pierre, South Dakota;
- Baxter Regional Medical Center, Mountain Home, Arkansas;
- Bozeman Health, Bozeman, Montana;
- Castleview Hospital, Price, Utah;
- Cedar City Hospital, Cedar City, Utah;
- Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, Vermont;
- Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital,
- Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan; Davis Medical Center, Elkins, West Virginia;
- Faith Regional Health Services, Norfolk, Nebraska;
- Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Laramie, Wyoming;
- Major Health Partners, Shelbyville, Indiana;
- Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Jasper, Indiana;
- MidMichigan Medical Center – Alpena, Michigan;
- Northern Maine Medical Center, Fort Kent, Maine;
- Olympic Medical Center, Port Angeles, Washington;
- Prairie Lakes Healthcare Systems, Watertown, South Dakota;
- Sheridan Memorial Hospital, Sheridan, Wyoming
- St. Peter’s Hospital, Helena, Montana.
