Glossary Term
Critical Access Hospital (CAH)
Definition
A Critical Access Hospital is a rural hospital designation in the United States established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve healthcare access in underserved areas. These facilities have limited capacity, typically with no more than 25 inpatient beds, and provide essential services such as emergency care, inpatient care, and outpatient services.
Relevance to the MedTech Industry
Critical Access Hospitals ensure that rural populations have access to vital medical services, reducing disparities in healthcare access. For the MedTech industry, these facilities represent a unique market requiring scalable, cost-effective, and versatile medical devices tailored to limited-resource environments.
Additional Information & Related Terms
Related Terms
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs): Facilities providing outpatient care in rural areas, often complementing CAHs.
Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program: A program that supports the establishment and operation of Critical Access Hospitals.
Telehealth: Technologies that allow remote care delivery, increasingly used in CAHs to bridge access gaps.
Portable Medical Devices: Equipment designed for easy transport and use in resource-limited settings, often critical in CAHs.