critical access hospital

What is a critical access hospital?

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.