ABERDEEN, S.D.(Press Release)- Several Avera hospitals, including Avera St. Luke’s, are listed among the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals in the United States for 2024 as named by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. Notably, Avera St. Luke’s has been one of the Top 100 rural and community hospitals for each year the report has been released – that’s nine consecutive years!
Additional Avera facilities named to the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital list include:
- Avera Sacred Heart Hospital, Yankton, SD
- Avera St. Mary’s Hospital, Pierre, SD
- Lakes Regional Healthcare, Spirit Lake, Iowa (an Avera partner)
Facilities named to the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals list include:
- Avera Hand County Memorial Hospital, Miller, SD
- Floyd Valley Healthcare, Le Mars, Iowa (an Avera partner)
- Pipestone County Medical Center & Family Clinic Avera (an Avera partner)
“Avera’s commitment to rural health care is evident by the quality of care provided at Avera hospitals and Avera managed facilities. Providing high quality care close to home is grounded in our mission, going back to the Sisters who founded early hospitals in Dakota Territory,” said Jim Dover, FACHE, Avera President and CEO. “Residents in our rural and urban communities deserve high quality care close to home. Avera is proud to provide leading-edge care, research and top decile quality to families across our five-state region.”
Now in its 14th year, this study analyzes rural hospitals through the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, a comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance in the United States. Leveraging publicly available data, the Index is a trusted resource across the country to measure and monitor performance across eight defined pillars of excellence, including quality, cost, and patient engagement. These hospitals serve as a benchmark for other rural facilities as they strive to achieve similar results and provide a blueprint for successfully navigating the uncertainty of the ever-changing health care environment.
The Top 100 Award program was introduced in 2011 with the Critical Access Hospital category. The Rural & Community Hospital category was added in 2016.
“Each year, Avera continues to have numerous facilities that earn the Top 100 distinctions. This consistency is a testament to our focus on delivering high quality care, ensuring access and keeping health care affordable. Having high quality care locally also strengthens communities and improves quality of life,” Dover said.
“During an era of profound uncertainty for rural health care, the Top 100 rural hospitals continue to provide a unique lens through which we can identify innovation and inspiration for how to deliver high quality care to increasingly vulnerable populations,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health.