The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) recently announced the names of the Top 100 Critical Access (CAHs) in America and among the list was Sidney Health Center.

“I received an email from the Montana Hospital Association congratulating us on the Top 100 designation,” commented Rick Haraldson, Sidney Health Center CEO. “I was thrilled to get the news and share the information with our staff. It is quite an honor when their commitment to providing exceptional care at all levels in the organization is recognized nationally!”

The NRHA named the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the nation, as determined by the Hospital Strength Index, recognizing the top performance of hospitals that are the safety net to communities across the country.

Two other Montana hospitals made the list including Barrett Memorial Hospital in Dillon and Community Hospital of Anaconda. The first-ever comprehensive rating of Critical Access Hospitals was analyzed by the Hospital Strength Index. 

The Hospital Strength Index™ incorporates 56 different measures of performance to help identify those hospitals that are best prepared for success under the new healthcare reform. The Index includes a unique set of measures rating Market Strength, Value-based Strength and Financial Strength as key pillars for benchmarking and setting new goals under health reform. 

• The Market Strength includes competitive strength, intensity, size and growth factors essential to ACO development.
• The Value-based Strength includes quality, outcomes, patient perspectives, and cost and charge indicators that are essential for earning rewards under CMS' Value-based Purchasing reimbursement incentives. 
• The Financial Strength includes income statement and balance sheet ratios most predictive of long-term sustainability that are essential under an environment of reduced payments.