Columbus-based OhioHealth’s Van Wert Hospital has earned critical access hospital designation, a move aimed at strengthening the rural hospital’s long-term sustainability and maintaining local access to care.
The designation allows Van Wert Hospital to operate under the federal critical access hospital model, which provides qualifying rural hospitals with greater operational flexibility and cost-based Medicare reimbursement.
“This designation helps ensure we can continue providing the care our community depends on, now and into the future,” Paula Stabler, president of OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital, said in a Sept. 3 news release. “It strengthens our hospital, supports our caregivers and positions us to meet the healthcare needs of our community for years to come.”
Van Wert Hospital joins three other OhioHealth facilities operating under the critical access hospital model: Hardin Memorial Hospital in Kenton, Shelby Hospital and Morrow County Hospital in Mount Gilead.
