ISHPEMING, Mich. (WLUC) – UP Health System – Bell announced Monday that it has been recognized as a 2024 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

Chartis’ annual Top 100 award program recognizes outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®.

“We’re very pleased to be recognized by Chartis,” said UPHS-Bell Chief Executive Officer Mitch Leckelt. “Our top goal is to provide quality, compassionate care to our patients here in the Upper Peninsula. It’s very validating to see on paper what we work so hard for in our community each and every day.”

Now in its fourteenth year, Chartis said the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Featuring a methodology utilizing publicly available data, the INDEX is leveraged nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

“During an era of profound uncertainty for rural healthcare, the Top 100 rural hospitals continue to provide a unique lens through which we can identify innovation and inspiration for how to deliver high quality care to increasingly vulnerable populations,” said Chartis Center for Rural Health National Leader Michael Topchik. “We’re delighted to be able to recognize all this year’s Top 100 but especially the more than 40 first-time recipients across both categories. It’s wonderful to see so many new facilities join the ranks of our Top 100 alumni.”

The list of this year’s Top 100, as well as the 2024 INDEX methodology, can be found online. UP Health System – Marquette and UP Health System – Portage do not qualify for this designation as they are not critical access hospitals.

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