As part of National Rural Health Day, UP Health System – Bell announced today that it has received a 2025 Performance Leadership Award for excellence in outcomes.

The award, compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, recognizes top-quartile performance — hospitals ranking in the 75th percentile or above — among rural facilities in the areas of quality, outcomes, and patient perspective.

“This award is so meaningful to us because it reflects the heart of what we’re trying to do — provide access to consistent, quality healthcare in our corner of the world,” said Alyson Sundberg, chief operating officer at UP Health System – Bell. “While it’s not always easy, our dedicated team shows up and makes it happen every single day. It’s worth every effort when we see the impact in our communities. This recognition fuels our passion to keep doing better, together.” 

The Performance Leadership Awards program is based on results from the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®, a comprehensive and objective framework used to assess how rural hospitals are performing. INDEX benchmarks are relied upon by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure performance across multiple areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

“The areas of quality, outcomes, and patient perspective are cornerstones of healthcare delivery across rural America, and this year’s Performance Leadership Award recipients are establishing a standard of excellence for their rural peers to follow,” said Michael Topchik, executive director of The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to shine a spotlight on such strong performance and honor the achievement of these hospitals on National Rural Health Day.”