About

Klickitat Valley Health (KVH) is a Critical Access Hospital located in Goldendale, Washington.

Definition and Purpose:

A Critical Access Hospital (CAH) is a designation given to certain rural hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Congress created this designation in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act in response to hospital closures in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The goal of CAHs is to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to healthcare by maintaining essential services in rural communities.

CAHs receive cost-based Medicare reimbursement.

Eligibility Requirements for CAHs:

A CAH must have 25 or fewer acute care inpatient beds.

It must be located more than 35 miles from another hospital, with some exceptions allowed.

The CAH must maintain an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients.

It must provide 24/7 emergency care services.

Klickitat Valley Health (KVH):

KVH is a nonprofit care provider operated by Public Hospital District #1 of Klickitat County, WA.

It includes a 25-bed critical access hospital and offers a range of healthcare services, from health maintenance to emergency care2.

In summary, CAHs like KVH play a crucial role in ensuring healthcare access for rural communities by meeting specific criteria and providing essential services.