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Quality healthcare is a necessity and one, thanks to the Critical Access Hospital program, that can be provided to thousands of Nebraskans and millions of rural Americans. Because rural hospitals are so unique, they require more flexibility from government regulations and federal policies. This helps them continue to provide access to cost-effective, quality healthcare services. When Congress made changes to the Medicare program in the mid-1980's, it changed the way in which hospitals are paid for treating Medicare patients. The government's actions unintentionally hurt small rural hospitals. Medicare no longer pays many of these rural hospitals for the actual cost of providing care to their patients, forcing hospitals to lose money on certain procedures. Many hospitals faced bankruptcy and closure in the mid 1990's, especially so after the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. As you can see from the map above, the majority of of CAHs are located in the "grey belt", a section running vertically through the nation where a large segment of the population is aged 65 years or older. Nebraska leads the way in numbers of CAHs, with 55, and one in the process of conversion. Before Congress established the Critical Access Hospital program through the BBA of 1997, the Nebraska Unicameral established a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) category. This new type of hospital is not all that different from other hospitals. The primary difference is that the Medicare program uses a different method to pay CAHs for services than is used for larger hospitals. This method of payment helps smaller hospitals remain financially viable and maintains access to care for many rural communities. CAH Status has allowed TCHS to remain a viable, high-quality hospital serving Thayer and other counties in the region. To learn more about Critical Access Hospitals, and to read key research and get updates on the industry, go to: www.rupri.org |
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| 120 Park Ave, Hebron, Nebraska, 68370 (402) 768-6041 | ||||||||||
