THEDACARE CELEBRATES RURAL HEALTH
November 21, 2019, is recognized as National Rural Health Day,
celebrating the value of rural hospitals and caregivers. Throughout the week, ThedaCare will
be highlighting the accomplishments and stories from our rural areas, providing access to care
for those living in Northeast and Central Wisconsin.
“For the purpose of healthcare, ‘rural’ is defined as a geographic area with low population size
and density,” explained Julie Chikowski, Vice President of Critical Access Hospitals and
ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano. “It can be a town, a small city or a township.”
The National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH), which establishes
Rural Health Day every year, notes that one in five Americans live in a rural area, and those
areas face unique healthcare needs.
“Today more than ever, rural communities must address specific issues not all Americans
face,” said Chikowski. “Some issues include meeting the needs of an aging population,
treating and maintaining chronic conditions and providing access for a larger percentage of
uninsured and underinsured people.”
Chikowski explained the term Critical Access Hospital (CAH) is a designation given to eligible
rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
According to CMS, here are some of the criteria for a Critical Access Hospital:
Have 25 or less acute care beds.
Maintains an annual average length of stay of 96 hours per patient for acute inpatient
care
Be 15 to 35 miles away from the nearest hospital, depending on the local system of
highways.
Provide emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Chikowski noted that Congress created the CAH designation in 1997 in response to numerous
rural hospitals closing during the 1980s and early 1990s. According to the Rural Health
Information Hub, the purpose of the CAH designation is to “reduce the financial vulnerability of
rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by keeping essential services in rural
communities.”
“Once a hospital is designated a CAH, then CMS will reimburse the hospital the actual cost of
treating its Medicare and Medicaid patients, whereas regional and urban hospitals are
reimbursed at a per diem rate,” Chikowski explained. “The CMS understands that it is
oftentimes more challenging to provide high quality, low cost healthcare in rural areas
because of those unique circumstances facing rural areas.”
122 East College Avenue PO Box 8025 Appleton, Wisconsin 54912-8025 TEL 920.735.5560 FAX 920.830.5895 www.thedacare.org
Currently there are 1,300 CAHs in the United States. In the ThedaCare health system, its
Medical Centers in Berlin, New London, Shawano, Waupaca and Wild Rose are designated
as CAHs.
ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano recently was ranked in the Top 100 CAHs in the country
for 2019, joining seven other Wisconsin hospitals to receive that honor. That ranking is
determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health (CCRH).
“This is a huge honor for our Shawano hospital and its staff,” Chikowski said. “The Chartis
Center compares all CAHs in the nation against one another. It looks at each hospital’s
strength index, which is based on quality scores, health outcomes, patient satisfaction scores
and cost per patient. In other words, it asks your patients having good outcomes, are they
happy with what you’re doing for them and are you being good stewards of healthcare dollars
and providing care at a better cost.”
Chikowski added that being named in the Top 100 is a coveted award.
“We have a beautiful hospital, a great culture and teamwork here in Shawano,” she said. “We
are committed to providing quality healthcare, close to home.”
She noted that ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano has more than 30 specialty services
offered to patients and families, including general surgery, obstetrics, physical therapy,
imaging and more.
“More and more, people are realizing how important rural healthcare is,” she said. “Wisconsin
consistently ranks among the very best for quality and lowest cost, usually in the top five in the
nation. Our rural hospitals significantly contribute to that outcome because of our quality
scores. At ThedaCare, we are committed to keeping care local, while fulfilling our mission of
improving the health of the communities we serve.”
About ThedaCare
For more than 110 years, ThedaCare ® has been committed to finding a better way to deliver
serious and complex healthcare to patients throughout Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The
organization serves a community of more than 600,000 residents and employs more than
7,000 healthcare professionals throughout the regions. ThedaCare has seven hospitals
located in Appleton, Neenah, Berlin, Waupaca, Shawano, New London and Wild Rose as well
as 31 clinics in nine counties. ThedaCare is the first in Wisconsin to be a Mayo Clinic Care
Network Member, giving our specialists the ability to consult with Mayo Clinic experts on a
patient’s care. ThedaCare is a non-profit healthcare organization with a level II trauma center,
comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs as well as a foundation
dedicated to community service.
