GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Fairview Hospital, an affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) in Great Barrington, has been named one of the 20 highest-ranked critical access hospitals (CAHs) in the country as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health and announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). 

 

Fairview achieved two Top 20 recognition awards, the first for Overall Hospital Performance based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX and its eight indices: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance. The second award was for Best Practice Achievement for Patient Perspective: a rating of hospital performance based on percentile rank across all 10 HCAHPS domains.

 

The president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems,  said , "We are incredibly proud of all of our staff at Fairview Hospital," said Darlene Rodowicz, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. "Thanks to their hard work and dedication, BHS is able to provide the highest quality patient care and the best possible patient experience for everyone in our community, especially those in the most rural parts of our region."

 

"Every person on our team plays an important role in Fairview's performance by providing our patients excellent care," said Anthony Rinaldi, Jr., executive vice president of Fairview. "We are thrilled to receive this national recognition which is a result of the commitment that every individual brings to their work each day to exceed our patients' expectations."

 

The hospital has been invited to an awards ceremony that will be held during NRHA's Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Mo.

 

"Despite unprecedented adversity, rural providers continue to display resiliency and a steadfast commitment to their communities," said Michael Topchik, the Chartis Center for Rural Health's National Leader. "We are delighted to recognize the exceptional performance and innovation of this year's recipients, in light of the extraordinary challenges facing America's rural health safety net."

 

With over 100 rural hospitals closing in the United States between 2013 and 2021, according to the Government Accountability Office, the Hospital Strength Index considers the strength and sustainability of rural healthcare by focusing on the patient experience, quality of care, affordability, and financial sustainability.

 

Over the course of the last 12 years, the INDEX has established itself as the industry's most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is trusted by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations and state offices of rural health across the country to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.