CRH Named To Top 100 Hospitals

COBLESKILL — Cobleskill Regional Hospital (CRH), part of Bassett Healthcare Network, has been recognized as a 2024 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the U.S. by the Chartis Center for Rural Health in its just-released annual list. The award program recognizes outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®. Notably, Cobleskill Regional Hospital is the only hospital in New York State to be included on the list.

As a Critical Access Hospital, Cobleskill Regional Hospital is Schoharie County’s only provider of acute inpatient medical care, emergency care, short-stay inpatient rehabilitation, and many other diagnostic and therapeutic services. Schoharie County is more than 600 square miles.

“Bassett Healthcare Network salutes our colleagues at Cobleskill Regional Hospital who can stand proudly among the top 100 critical access hospitals across the country,” said Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, interim President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “This recognition is significant to our extraordinary caregivers and to our patients who entrust us with their care.”

“The secret our community already knew about is out and we’re incredibly proud of the staff and clinicians who are being recognized for the excellence that Cobleskill Regional Hospital provides for the people of Schoharie County,” said Steven Kroll, chair of the Cobleskill Regional Hospital Board of Trustees. “It is an honor to be recognized as one of the top Critical Access Hospitals in the nation and we are grateful to everyone who works hard to provide a quality experience for our patients every day.”

Susan Oakes Ferrucci, DNP, MSN, RN, CNS, President of Cobleskill Regional Hospital and Chief Hospital Executive of Bassett’s Critical Access Hospitals Division, said: “It is a privilege to represent the dedicated staff at Cobleskill Regional Hospital who work tirelessly every day to make sure each patient receives the best care possible. We are here for each other and for our community. We are deeply honored to receive this recognition.”

Bassett Healthcare Network also maintains outpatient clinics throughout Schoharie County, including Cobleskill Health Center, Middleburgh Health Center, Schoharie Health Center, Sharon Springs Health Center, plus a School-Based Health Center in Middleburgh.

To determine the 2024 list, Chartis used the Chartis Rural Hospital Strength INDEX, which assesses performance in inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance. The Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX is the industry's most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural provider performance.

Critical Access Hospital is a designation given to eligible rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Congress created the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation in response to over 400 rural hospital closures during the 1980s and early 1990s. The CAH designation is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural communities.

Eligible hospitals must meet the following conditions: have 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds, be located more than 35 miles from another hospital, maintain an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients, and provide 24/7 emergency care services.

“During an era of profound uncertainty for rural healthcare, the Top 100 Rural Hospitals Recognition continues 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.