Critical access hospitals with the highest readmission rates

Which critical access hospitals have the highest all-cause readmission rates?

CrossRidge Community Hospital in Wynne, Arkansas, has the highest all-cause readmission rates among CAHs at 17.6%. In second place is Fulton County Hospital in Salem, Arkansas, with a 17.5% readmission rate. Orange City Area Health System in Orange City, Iowa, and Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute, Kansas, tie for third place with 17.3% readmission rates.

Arkansas, Kansas, and Louisiana are the most represented states on the list, with three of the top 25 CAHs each. 

One might expect hospitals with more total discharges to report higher readmission rates, as with each patient discharge, there is a risk for 30-day readmission. However, there does not seem to be a correlation between total discharges and readmission rate.

For instance, some of the top 25 CAHs report more than 1,000 total discharges and have readmission rates similar to hospitals with about 200 discharges. Instead, these differences may be due to factors such as the case complexity or co-morbidities of recent patients receiving care at the hospital.

What is the average all-cause hospital-wide readmission rate?

The average all-cause hospital-wide readmission rate for U.S. critical access hospitals is 14.96%. This is based on readmission data from 1,106 CAHs tracked in the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product. Rates range from 13.2% to 17.6%.

The current average among CAHs is slightly lower than that of U.S. hospitals in general, which is about 15.5%. Check out our analysis of readmission rates among Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) for a closer look at broader hospital readmission trends. 

What are critical access hospitals?

Critical access hospitals are defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as healthcare facilities that:

• have fewer than 25 acute care inpatient beds
• are located more than 35 miles from the nearest hospital (or 15 miles by mountain or secondary roads)
• maintain an average length of stay of 96 hours or less
• must provide 24-hour emergency care services

The Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product tracks more than 1,300 active CAHs.

Because of this designation and the areas in which they are located, CAHs usually have fewer specialists, limited service line offerings, less access to funding, and fewer employed physicians.

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