What is a critical access hospital?

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The Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation is given by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rural hospitals that meet various eligibility criteria, including (among other factors)¹

providing round-the-clock emergency care
being in a rural area more than 35 miles from another hospital (or more than 15 miles in some areas, depending on the roads),
having no more than 25 inpatient beds

Hospitals that have the CAH designation receive certain benefits under the Medicare payment system,² in an effort to reduce the financial vulnerability of these hospitals and ensure that rural communities continue to have access to local hospital services.³

How many critical access hospitals are there?

As of April 2025, there were 1,377 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States.⁴ For perspective, there are a total of more than 6,000 hospitals in the U.S., so most are not Critical Access Hospitals⁵ (although the majority of rural hospitals are CAHs)⁶

Find a CAH.