NEW ULM, Minn. (March 5, 2020) — New Ulm Medical Center today announced it has been named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Regarded as one of the industry’s most significant designations of performance excellence, the annual Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals award is based upon the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX® from iVantage Health Analytics.
"We are gratified to have earned this award for the ninth time in the 10 years it has been awarded," said New Ulm Medical Center President Toby Freier. "Our high ranking demonstrates the deep commitment our physicians and staff have to continuously improving health care outcomes and value for our communities."
New Ulm Medical Center is one of just eight Minnesota hospitals to make the list of Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals, and the only one to have been on the list nine times. The hospital ranked in the 100th percentile (top in the nation) in 2019. The hospital's growth in the number of services offered and number of providers has helped NUMC thrive when many rural hospitals are struggling. New Ulm Medical Center now offers 20 different specialties delivered by over 50 physicians.
Hospitals recognized as a Top 100 facility scored in the top 100 among all Critical Access Hospitals nationally. Now in its 10th year, the INDEX leverages 50 indicators across eight pillars of hospital strength (i.e. Inpatient Market Share, Outpatient Market Chare, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspective and Financial Stability) to determine an overall score for each hospital. Each of the INDEX’s 50 indicators is culled from publicly available data sources.
Michael Topchik, National Leader of The Chartis Center for Rural Health, commends the exceptional performance of New Ulm Medical Center: “In an era of increased complexity and uncertainty, Top 100 hospitals have established themselves as a bellwether for rural provider performance, and New Ulm Medical Center is to be congratulated for earning this honor.”
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A not-for-profit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 10 hospitals / 13 campuses, 15 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services.