(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - For the second year in a row, PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center was named among the top Critical Access Hospitals in the nation, ranking in the top 2% of more than 1,300 hospitals. Ketchikan Medical Center is one of only two Alaskan hospitals to be among the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals, which are considered the best rural hospitals; serving as safety-nets for their rural communities.

(L to R) Marina Rowe, Aimee McClory & Karen Afonso from Ketchikan Medical Center’s Emergency Department.
Photograph courtesy PKMC

“More and more, our Medical Center is being called upon to provide care for residents across southern Southeast Alaska,” said Patrick Branco, CEO of Ketchikan Medical Center. “Our caregivers strive to provide every person with safe, compassionate care; close to home. I believe it is a well-deserved honor for our staff to be recognized nationally once again.”

PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center is a 25-bed, critical access hospital offering comprehensive trauma care, outpatient and home health services, and a 29-bed long-term care facility. In partnership with the City of Ketchikan, KMC provides the southern Southeast Alaska region with critical health care services including general and orthopedic surgery; obstetrics and gynecology; birthing center; diagnostic imaging, laboratory; physical, occupational and speech therapies; long-term care; and a sleep study center. In addition, PeaceHealth Medical Group provides primary and specialty care in both Ketchikan and Prince of Wales as well as specialists visits throughout southern Southeast Alaska.

“As the provision of care in our region has expanded and changed, so has the breadth and quality of services delivered at Ketchikan Medical Center,” commented Shannon Updike, Vice President of Patient Care Services. “Receiving this award is a true testament to the level of exceptional care and dedication our caregivers deliver on a daily basis, and we are so pleased to be recognized in this way.”

The HealthStrong™ Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals, scored best among critical access hospitals on the iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength Index™. Each facility is measured against 56 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability and efficiency.

“Rural hospitals play a critical role in providing needed care to communities across America, yet the challenges are completely different while being as complex as urban hospitals. The need for enhanced performance and a framework for success are equally important as hospitals prepare for the impact of health reform,” said John Morrow, EVP of iVantage Health Analytics.

Source of News: 

PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center
www. peacehealth.org/ketchikan

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