Critical Access Hospital Case Study

This hospital is one of 1,332 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that provide care to the patients in remote areas of the country. The services provided by CAHs are the only link for many patients to healthcare. The care provided is limited by 96-hour length of stay and 25 bed capacity. The Jordan Rau article in USA Today indicates mortality rate in CAHs are inferior to other hospitals. The concern is the community may view this rate as the only indicator of quality. In response to the article, the institution must be transparent in reporting mortality rates referred to in the article. These rates include:
• Overall Mortality
• Acute MI Case-Rate Mortality
• Pneumonia Case-Rate Mortality
• Heart Failure Case-Rate Mortality These values are the percent of mortalities in the patients admitted. The patients admitted are subject to the restrictions placed on CAH. The community must understand the data from these rates are skewed by the length of stay limitations of CAHs. Patients with very mild illnesses or those unlikely to survive the illness remain in the CAH. Patient that require aggressive care to survive are transferred because of the length of stay limit. The rates also do not reflect quality care metrics that may be met by the CAH. These rates also do not reflect critical services such as 24-hour emergency care services provided by the CAHs.
The Joint Commission ORYX program participation also monitors CAHs quality of care. These quality monitoring measures and care improvement processes reflect the healthcare organization’s commitment to providing the best quality care to the community it serves. Mortality rates alone do not reflect the commitment or the vital services CAH provide to the