Nashville hospital named on of top 20 critical access hospitals in nation

NASHVILLE, Ark. (KSLA) - A rural hospital in Nashville has made the list of top 20 critical access hospitals for overall performance in the country.

Howard Memorial Hospital scored best among critical access hospitals as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. These rankings were announced by the National Rural Health Association. The hospital will be recognized at an awards ceremony in September in Kansas City, Mo.

Stephen May is the emergency room director for Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville, Arkansas. May and other hospital employees are encouraged with Howard Memorial receiving national recognition.

“This is not just a one-person event. This took all the staff, all the positions to make this happen,” May said.

The top 20 hospitals were ranked based on:

Inpatient market share
Outpatient market share
Quality
Outcomes
Patient perspective
Cost
Charge
Finance

Debra Wright, the CEO of Howard Memorial Hospital, says the time frame when the data was selected came from during the height of the COVID pandemic.

“We had good physicians covering our emergency room when these patients were brought in, thankfully. This honor is proof that we were doing a very good job during that time because the emphasis is on quality patient’s outcome,” Wright said.

The hospital is a 20-bed facility with about 235 employees. Leaders there say the recognition is a stamp of approval for the Howard County area.

“Howard Memorial Hospital is proud of the efforts of the physicians and staff who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation” Wright said. “Our results as a top overall performer means the communities, we serve can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”

The National Rural Health Association is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans.

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