Category

Rural Communities

Feb 22
0

Aspirus in Iron River named Top 100 Critical Access Hospital

By | Emergency Medicine, Health News, Innova News, Rural Communities

So proud of our partner hospital in Iron River, Michigan!

IRON RIVER — Aspirus Iron River Hospital recently was named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. by iVantage Health Analytics and The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

As a top-performing CAH, Aspirus Iron River is recognized as being one of the best of the 1,332 rural safety-net hospitals in the nation, officials said.

“This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best health care possible to our community while maintaining an efficient and effective facility,”Aspirus Iron River CEO Connie Koutouzos said. “It’s a testament to the high-quality, patient-centered care we provide. This recognition also salutes the skill and dedication that is displayed daily by our medical staff and employees. We are dedicated to leading the transformation of health care for the communities we serve.”

A CAH is a hospital certified to receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare. This program is intended to reduce hospital closures in rural areas, promote a process for improving rural health care and focus on community needs.

CAHs are in rural areas, can have a maximum of 25 acute care in-patient beds, and provide 24-hour emergency services.

Aspirus Iron River Hospital scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX. The INDEX is a comprehensive rating of rural providers. It provides the data foundation for the annual Rural Relevance Study and its results are the basis for many of rural health care’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives.

The list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and more information about the study can be found at www.iVantageINDEX.com.

Aspirus Iron River was among only five to make the list in Michigan, another being Aspirus Ironwood Hospital. Aspirus partner hospitals in Wisconsin, Aspirus Medford Hospital and Aspirus Langlade were the only CAHs to receive the designation from Wisconsin.

The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America — and the INDEX measures them across eight pillars of hospital strength: Inpatient Share Ranking, Outpatient Share Ranking, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspectives, and Financial Stability.

Aspirus is a non-profit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wis.

Aspirus serves communities throughout northern and central Wisconsin, as well as the western Upper Peninsula.

The integrated system includes four hospitals in Michigan and four hospitals in Wisconsin, 50 clinics, home health and hospice care, pharmacies, critical care and helicopter transport, medical goods, nursing homes and affiliated physicians.

http://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/news/local-news/2017/03/aspirus-in-iron-river-named-top-100-critical-access-hospital/

Aug 26
70

Rural Emergency Care

By | Emergency Medicine, Rural Communities

Practicing Rural Emergency Medical Care

Approximately 60 million Americans live in rural communities across the United States.  When it comes to health care, they face unique challenges compared to patients who live in urban communities.  There are far fewer physicians, both primary care and specialists, and patients must travel further distances to get to physicians and hospitals.  There are also proportionately more severe auto accidents and trauma-related deaths despite the overall lower population. In the current economic environment, many rural hospitals have been forced to close labor and delivery units – meaning that pregnant women must now travel even further for care.

Innova Emergency Medical Associates helps hospitals tackle the difficult problems of physician recruitment and Emergency Department quality.  We are drawn to the numerous benefits of practicing medicine in rural areas – especially the relationship that forms between the physician and the members of the hospital staff, our patients and the community as a whole.  We wanted to create a way to recruit highly qualified, board certified Emergency Medicine physicians to provide world-class care to areas that had struggled with either staffing or quality in their Emergency Department – and it has been a huge success!

Our hospitals have been shocked by our ability to change the culture of their Emergency Department and take the quality of care delivered to new heights.  Our physicians are dedicated to patient safety, ED throughput, and provide outstanding patient care.

Jul 22
67

Gaining Access to Emergency Medicine in Rural Communities

By | Emergency Medicine, Rural Communities

One of the biggest challenges facing our rural communities is access to care.

In the last 8 years, 5% of rural hospitals have closed their doors, leaving their communities with no access to emergency care and many more hospitals continue to struggle to keep their doors open.

Additionally, one of the major tragedies in access to care has been the closing of labor and delivery units in a large number of rural hospitals.

Here at Innova, we were very glad to see a recent article in the New York Times highlighting access to care issues for rural communities.  This article focuses on both lack of obstetrical care as well as lack of Emergency Services available to a large percentage of rural patients.