RCH named among nation’s best

Ringgold County Hospital is one affiliate of the MercyOne network to be recognized as one of the 2022 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the nation.
Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, this 12th annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX®.
“As a collective team, we are so honored by the Chartis group to be selected as one of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the Country,” said Ringgold County Hospital administrator Joe Mangiameli. “Building upon the foundation that Board of Trustees and Gordon Winkler built, the providers, leaders, and staff have continued to make this an exceptional place to work and a phenomenal place to get care. We are pushing ourselves to be kinder, more thoughtful versions of who we are to meet the needs of our community. We recognize that there’s always room for improvement and we will continue to strive to better at our craft.”
Ringgold County Hospital in Mount Ayr operates a 16-bed critical access hospital, county ambulance service and a medical clinic employing more than 150 colleagues in MercyOne’s Central Iowa region.
“This recognition reaffirms our continuum of compassionate care is among the best you will find in the country,” said Mike Trachta, MercyOne Vice President of Network Affiliates. “This is something to really be proud of. There is no application process and recognition is solely based on performance data.”
Along with Ringgold County Hospital, MercyOne affiliate critical access hospitals earning recognition are Hansen Family Hospital in Iowa Falls, Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona, Knoxville Hospital and Clinics.
“We are celebrating the significant achievement of excellent patient care provided by our colleagues in Algona, Iowa Falls, Knoxville and Mount Ayr,” said Bob Ritz, MercyOne President and CEO. “To be recognized as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital is phenomenal.”
“The Top 100 program continues to illuminate strategies and innovation for delivering higher quality care and better outcomes within rural communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to be able to spotlight the efforts of these facilities through the INDEX framework.”
Over the course of the last 12 years, the INDEX has grown to become the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Based entirely on public data and utilizing 36 independent indicators, the INDEX assesses rural hospitals across eight pillars of performance, including market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and financial efficiency. The INDEX framework is widely used across the nation by independent rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints and state offices of rural health, which provide access to INDEX analytics through grant-funded initiatives.