Totaling more than 1,300 in the United States, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) are limited in size and generally have a short length of average patient stay. These hospitals provide care forcommon conditions and focus on outpatient care, while referring other conditions to larger hospitals. By meeting certain standards, CAHs are certified and approved for an invaluable reimbursement from Medicare – allowing investments toward bettering their equipment for patient care.
Critical Access Hospitals are certified under a set of Medicare Conditions of Participation. Some requirements for certification include: having a maximum of 25 inpatient beds, maintaining an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute inpatient care, offering round-the-clock emergency care, and being located in a rural area (at least a 35 mile drive away from any other hospital or CAH). Certification allows CAHs to receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare, instead of standard fixed rates. This reimbursement has been shown to enhance the financial performance of small rural hospitals that were losing money prior to CAH certification, thereby reducing hospital closures.
Critical Access Hospitals can benefit from implementing medical-grade refrigeration that is designed to maintain the specific temperature ranges required for reagents, medications, vaccines, blood products, and patient nourishment. Standardizing on a single vendor helps CAHs achieve consistent storage protocols, effective monitoring, and efficient inventory control.
Margaret Mary Health (MMH) is a Critical Access Hospital located in southeastern Indiana. MMH has implemented medical-grade cold storage and standardized on a single vendor. Recently featured in CLP Lab Stories, MMH has realized value from this strategy because of the strict temperature ranges required for their stored products, accreditation requirements, and the benefits achieved by effective inventory control. For more information, download the article.
