Virginia Gay Hospital in Vinton, IA was recently named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals (CAHs) for overall performance and quality in the country.
The top 20 CAHs, including Virginia Gay Hospital scored best among CAHs as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health for overall performance and best practice in quality. The rankings were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). An awards ceremony will be held during NRHA’s Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Mo.
The top 20 CAHs have achieved success in overall performance based on a composite rating from eight indices of strength: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance. This group was selected from the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s 2026 top 100 CAH list, which was released earlier this year.
The top 20 CAH best practice recipients have achieved success in one of two key areas of performance:
Quality index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across rural-relevant process of care measures.
Patient perspective index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across all 10 HCAHPS domains.
“Virginia Gay Hospital is proud of the efforts of the providers and staff who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” says Tina Eden, CEO. “Our results as a top 20 CAH for overall performance and quality means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”
About Virginia Gay Hospital
Founded in 1923, Virginia Gay Hospital has served the communities of Benton County and eastern Iowa for more than a century. As a community-focused healthcare organization, the hospital provides a full range of services including emergency care, outpatient services, rehabilitation, specialty clinics, and long-term care. Virginia Gay Hospital remains committed to ensuring residents have access to high-quality healthcare services close to home. For more information: www.myvgh.org.
About NRHA
NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education, and research. NRHA’s membership is made up of diverse individuals and organizations from across the country, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.
About Chartis
Chartis is a comprehensive health care advisory firm dedicated to helping clients build a healthier world. We work across the health care continuum with more than 900 clients annually, including providers, payers, health services organizations, technology and retail companies, and investors. Through times of change, challenge, and opportunity, we advise the industry on how to navigate disruption, pursue growth, achieve financial sustainability, unleash technology, improve care models and operations, enhance clinical quality and safety, and advance health equity. The teams we convene bring deep industry expertise and industry leading innovation, enabling clients to achieve transformational results and create positive societal impact. For more information, visit www.chartis.com.
