Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, Minn., was recently named one of the HealthStrong™ Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States for the second time, the first ranking coming in 2011.

“Riverwood is proud of the efforts of its physicians and all of our health care team members who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” said Michael Hagen, Riverwood CEO. “With a strong commitment to medical excellence and a newly renovated facility with single-occupancy patient rooms, we are well positioned to deliver a high quality patient experience here well into the future.”

The HealthStrong Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals, including Riverwood Healthcare Center, scored best among critical access hospitals on the iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength Index™. The 2013 Top 100 CAH announcement is the second release of this important designation. The Hospital Strength Index is a first-ever comprehensive rating of CAHs, and the results recognize the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals that provide a “safety net “ to communities across rural America – measuring them across 56 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability and efficiency. More information can be found at www.iVantageHealth.com/HSI.

“Rural hospitals play a critical role in providing needed care to communities across America,” said John Morrow, EVP of iVantage Health Analytic. “While the challenges are completely different than for urban hospitals, the issues rural hospitals face are just as complex. The need for enhanced performance and a framework for success are equally important as hospitals prepare for the impact of health reform.”

Some of the factors contributing to Riverwood’s top 100 ranking among critical access hospitals include financial stability, patient satisfaction and market demand for health care services.

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