UP Health System – Bell Recognized by the Chartis Center for Rural Health as a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital

February 19, 2020 – UP Health System – Bell in Ishpeming, Michigan, today announced it has been named a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. UPHS – Bell is the only hospital in Michigan to receive this designation. This annual award honoring rural hospital performance is determined by the results of iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2020.

“We are very pleased to be honored as one of the top rural hospitals in the country,” Mitch Leckelt, chief executive officer of UPHS – Bell said. “I would like to thank all of our employees, volunteers, and medical staff who have made this possible through their hard work and dedication. It’s because of their tireless commitment to our patients and our community that we are able to be recognized as a premier critical access hospital.”

Based entirely on publicly available data, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment or rural hospital performance. Utilizing 50 independent indicators, the INDEX assesses performance across eight pillars of performance that span market-, value-, and finance-based categories. Hospitals recognized as a Top 100 facility had one of the 100 highest overall scores among all Critical Access Hospitals nationally.

“The Top 100 Critical Access Hospital award program reminds us that rural providers haven’t lost touch with their mission and are committed to delivering better quality, better outcomes and better patient satisfaction. It’s a pleasure to be able to not only recognize this year’s recipients but our larger group of top 100 alumni as we celebrate 10 years of The Hospital Strength INDEX,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

UP Health System – Marquette and Portage do not qualify for this designation as they are not critical access hospitals.

Top 100 Hospital Resources:
The list of this year’s Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals as well as the INDEX methodology can be found at www.ivantageindex.com/top-performing-hospitals.

To learn more about The Chartis Center for Rural Health or to speak with someone regarding the INDEX and the Top 100, please email Billy Balfour at wbalfour@chartis.com.