CMS Approves Critical Access Hospital Status

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has finalized Adventist Health Columbia Gorge’s change to be a Critical Access Hospital.

"Becoming a Critical Access Hospital is more than a designation. It's a commitment to ensuring that high-quality healthcare remains close to home for the families, farmers, workers, and neighbors who make our rural community so special,” said Jayme Thompson, Adventist Health Columbia Gorge administrator. “This achievement belongs to all of us, and we're grateful for the trust our community places in us every day."

With an average daily census of 17 patients over more than 10 years, Adventist Health Columbia Gorge's redesignation better aligns its licensed capacity with the healthcare needs of the community. As a Critical Access Hospital, it joins each other hospital in this rural region under the same federal designation and is positioned on a stronger financial foundation due to changes in government healthcare reimbursement.

The redesignation does not reduce patient services. Adventist Health Columbia Gorge will continue providing the emergency, inpatient, outpatient, maternity, surgical, and specialty care services the community relies on.

A Critical Access Hospital (CAH) is a special designation by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for small, rural hospitals that helps make it possible to provide essential healthcare services to underserved communities. CAHs receive cost-based reimbursement from the federal government, which allows them to focus on essential services and remain a lifeline for their communities.