St. Charles Prineville has been named one of the top 100 critical access hospitals in the country, according to a survey conducted by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, an advisory firm focused on improving health care in rural communities.
The Prineville hospital is one of only two in Oregon to receive the recognition, along with Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande. The top 100 list, which comes out annually, honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on an assessment of publicly available data related to quality, patient perspectives, financial results and more.
“There are nearly 1,400 critical access hospitals across the United States, so to be designated as one of the 100 best is a tremendous honor,” said Todd Shields, hospital administrator for St. Charles’ Prineville and Madras hospitals.
“More than anything, it’s a reflection of the caregivers across the St. Charles organization who work hard every day to make St. Charles Prineville a great place to both provide and receive care,” he said. “They are skilled, compassionate and committed to serving the residents of Crook County and the region, who truly benefit from the hospital’s connection to the health system.”
The complex methodology used by Chartis analyzes data from the past five years that is pulled from a variety of sources maintained by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Chartis then feeds that data into an algorithm, which determines the top 100.
Prineville’s strong performance is based on several different factors, said Amber La, a quality improvement analyst for St. Charles. Of particular note were:
Patient experience and perspective. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders in Prineville focused on implementing programs to improve patient experience at the hospital, including increased visits to patient rooms, upgraded hospitality services and a procedure to ensure safe patient hand-off at the bedside.
Quality and safety. In recent years, Prineville has experienced a very low incidence of patient infections, patient falls and hospital-acquired pressure injuries thanks to several initiatives, including regular reviews of safety concerns, process improvements to enhance quality of care and a renewed focus on hand hygiene.
Keeping care local. A continued focus on increasing the hospital’s capacity and reducing barriers to care for local residents has resulted in a decrease in the number of transfers from Prineville to another facility. A major investment in training for nurses in 2023 has upped the level of care available at the hospital, allowing Crook County residents to get the care they need closer to home.
“We set some high targets and then we were able to achieve them and sustain them,” said Kimberli Munn, chief nursing officer for Prineville. “I think ultimately, we received this award because we provided high-quality care to Prineville and Crook County. That’s what we’re here to do, and we’re proud to be recognized for it.”
