ST. MARYS – Penn Highlands Elk in St. Marys was recently named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals (CAHs) in the country.
Critical access hospitals provide essential access to high-quality healthcare in rural communities.
With more than 1,350 CAHs located throughout the United States, this designation places Penn Highlands Elk in the Top 2 percent of all CAHs.
Penn Highlands Elk has a long history of providing quality care to the region. With campuses in St. Marys and Ridgway, physician offices in several locations throughout the region, it proudly serves the residents of Elk, Cameron and neighboring counties.
The top 20 CAHs, including Penn Highlands Elk, scored best among CAHs as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. The rankings were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).
An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Mo.
The top 20 CAHs have achieved success in overall performance based on a composite rating from eight indices of strength: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and finance.
This group was selected from the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s 2022 top 100 CAH list, which was released earlier this year.
“Penn Highlands Elk is proud of the efforts of the physicians and staff who contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” said Bradley J. Chapman, president of Penn Highlands Elk.
“Ranking among the top 20 critical access hospitals in the U.S. means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”