River Falls Area Hospital, an Allina Health hospital, has been recognized as a 2021 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital again in 2021. Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, this program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX®.

'We are honored to have earned this recognition as it validates the strategy and hard work of our team to deliver outstanding care and high value to our patients,' said River Falls President Helen Strike. 'The award is based on objective measures that are utilized across the industry to determine value and they are accepted measures in terms of quality, care outcomes and patient experience. Our high ranking demonstrates our physicians, nurses, and staff’s deep commitment to caring for those we serve.”

River Falls Area Hospital is one of just eight hospitals from Wisconsin to rank as Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in 2021. Allina Health’s New Ulm Medical Center in Minnesota is also on the 2021 list.

“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 11 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.