Critical Access Hospital

John C. Fremont Healthcare District is designated as a Critical Access Hospital.

"Critical Access Hospital" (CAH) is a designation given to certain rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This designation was created by Congress in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act in response to a string of hospital closures in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The CAH designation is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities. This is accomplished through cost-based Medicare reimbursement.

To ensure that CAH's deliver services to improve access to rural areas that need it most, restrictions exist concerning what types of hospital are eligible to the CAH designation. The primary eligibility requirements for CAHs are:
     *     A CAH must have 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds.
     *     It must be located more than 35 miles from another hospital or 15 miles from another hospital in             mountainous terrain.
     *     It must maintain an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients.
     *     It must provide 24/7 emergency care services.