Ministry Sacred Heart Hospital (MSHH) in Tomahawk was recently named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals (CAHs) for patient perspective in the country. The patient perspective index is a rating of hospital performance based on two Hospital Compare HCAHPS measures – overall rating and highly recommend. “Critical Access Hospital” is a designation authorized by federal legislation in the 1990s to allow the most vulnerable, small, rural hospitals to remain open thus, providing a “critical access point to health care” for their communities. These hospitals typically have fewer than 25 beds are often located in rural and isolated locations.
The top 20 critical access hospitals, including Ministry Sacred Heart, scored best among critical access hospitals on iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength Index for patient perspective. The list was announced Sept. 28 during the National Rural Health Association’s Critical Access Hospital Conference in Kansas City, Mo. Ministry Health Care operates the largest number of critical access hospitals in Wisconsin serving six separate communities.
The top 20 critical access hospitals have achieved success in one of three key areas of performance:
Quality index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across the five categories of Hospital Compare Process of Care measures.
Patient perspective index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank on two Hospital Compare HCAHPS measures (“Overall Rating” and “Highly Recommend)”.
Financial stability index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank on a set of balance sheet and income statement financial ratios.
“Ministry Sacred Heart Hospital is proud of the efforts of its physicians and staff who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” said Monica Hilt, Ministry Health Care regional vice president – northern region. “Our results as a top patient perspective index means our community can count on us to deliver the high quality services they need and depend on now and in the future.”
Ministry Sacred Heart Hospital and Ministry Medical Group in Tomahawk are part of Ministry Health Care, both of which have a long history of providing medical care in the Tomahawk community. The combined state-of-the-art facility offers a new standard of health care to residents of Tomahawk and surrounding communities. The medical campus provides an array of advanced technology and services including shared ancillary services, specialized support such as diabetic care and pain management, digital imaging capabilities, expanded orthopedic services, walk-in clinic, same-day clinic appointments, and 24 hour emergency services.