Bluffton Hospital, a division of Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS), has been recognized as a 2021 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital.

Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, this 11th annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX.

“Bluffton Hospital is honored and humbled to receive this recognition,” said Myron Lewis, president and CEO of BVHS. “We are truly proud to be ranked highly in these measures. We strive to provide exceptional care and work hard every day to ensure each patient has a positive experience.”

“The Top 100 program continues to illuminate strategies and innovation for delivering higher quality care and better outcomes within rural communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We are delighted to be able to spotlight the efforts of these facilities through the INDEX framework.”

Bluffton Hospital is a licensed, 25-bed short-term acute care facility providing a full range of services. Bluffton Hospital offers easy access as well as convenience in its location directly off of I-75.

“Bluffton Hospital offers greater technological resources to our patients than many small hospitals, explained Nicki Keuneke, RN, director of operations at Bluffton Hospital.

Compassionate, competent health care professionals
“Our facility is staffed by compassionate, competent health care professionals who are also family, friends and neighbors to those we treat. Not only do we provide high quality and safe care, but we take pride in the individualized and patient-focused care that we give each of our patients.”

Services provided at Bluffton Hospital include 24-hour emergency care, cardio-pulmonary services, digital mammography, endoscopy services, ENT & facial plastics, imaging and radiology, inpatient medical/surgical care, nutrition, lab services, occupational therapy, orthopedic surgery, outpatient injections and infusion therapy, pain treatment, physical therapy/sports medicine, physician specialists’ clinics, podiatry care, same day/outpatient and specialty surgery, sexual assault examinations, social services, speech therapy/audiology, urology services, sports physicals, women’s health and wellness and wound care.

Over the course of the last 11 years, the INDEX has grown to become the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance.

Based entirely on public data and utilizing 36 independent indicators, the INDEX assesses rural hospitals across eight pillars of performance, including market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and financial efficiency.

INDEX used across the nation
The INDEX framework is widely used across the nation by independent rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints and state offices of rural health, which provide access to INDEX analytics through grant-funded initiatives.