Maine among 10 states recognized for quality of rural hospitals
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Bridgton Hospital, part of Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare.
Maine is among 10 states nationally, and one of two in New England, recognized by the federal government for the quality of its rural hospitals.
The state received a national Quality Performance Award, recognizing high levels of quality by its Critical Access Hospitals — rural hospitals with 25 beds or less, designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide care in remote areas that otherwise wouldn't have it.
The awards are part of the federal Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project and recognize the states whose CAHs have the highest reporting rates and levels of improvement over the past year, according to a news release.
The project was created to promote quality care at the rural hospitals, which voluntarily report quality measures, share data and take on quality improvement initiatives. Other states recognized were Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, Alabama, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The 10 designated states also built on previous successes by investing funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Office of Rural Health Policy in quality projects and working collaboratively with other hospitals to share best practices, according to the release.
Peter Wright, president of Bridgton and Rumford hospitals, two of the state's 18 Critical Access Hospitals, said, “Our commitment is to providing the right care in the right place at the right time, every time. Maine has a long-standing tradition of having one of the highest quality, lower-cost healthcare systems in the country. This recognition proves that to be true.”
The two hospitals, part of Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare, have been recognized by the Leapfrog Group as two of the top 17 rural hospitals in the nation.
The recognition by the Health Resources and Services Administration was validation for the providers, nurses and staff at the two hospitals of the "hard and consistent work delivering top-quality care to the communities" they serve, said a news release from Central Maine Healthcare.
When Leapfrog results were released in December, seven rural Maine hospitals were among the 17 nationally recognized. Besides Rumford and Bridgton, those recognized were Lincoln Health in Damariscotta, Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield, Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital, Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast and Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent.
The Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project is part of a broader portfolio of activities within HRSA to preserve hospitals and help rural communities to continue their access to quality health care, said George Sigounas, HRSA administrator. "Ensuring rural hospital viability is an important component of HRSA's strategic efforts on high quality and value-based care," he said.
Of hospitals taking part in improvement measures, 72% have shown positive results, according to the HRSA release.
"We're happy to work with the states on this effort," said Tom Morris, FORHP associate administrator. "They've done a great job showing that [critical access hospitals] can be national leaders in quality improvement and that results in better care in rural communities."
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments