These top critical access hospitals are at risk of closure

When people think of the “best” hospitals, they often think about large academic medical centers in major cities. But there’s an often-overlooked type of hospital that is holding together rural health all across the nation: critical access hospitals. These hospitals are defined by CMS as having no more than 25 inpatient beds, operating 24-hour emergency care services, and being located at least 35 miles from the next nearest hospital.

Top 10 most socially responsible critical access hospitals, 2025 Lown Hospitals Index

Three of these top hospitals are at risk of closure due to federal funding cuts.

1. Western Wisconsin Health (Baldwin, WI)
2. Mayo Clinic Health System – Chippewa Valley (Bloomer, WI)
3. Platte County Memorial Hospital (Wheatland, WY)*
4. Saint Joseph Berea (Berea, KY)*
5. Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital (O’Neill, NE)
6. Sanford Luverne Medical Center (Luverne, MN)
7. Creek Nation Community Hospital (Okemah, OK)
8. Mayo Clinic Health System – Oakridge (Osseo, WI)*
9. Merrick Medical Center (Central City, NE)
10. Skyline Hospital (White Salmon, WA)

*identified by the Cecil G. Sheps Center as being at risk of having to stop providing some services or closing altogether due to funding cuts.

Some critical access hospitals at risk of closure

Both acute care and critical access hospitals are crucial for healthy communities. However, critical access hospitals tend to operate on thinner margins due to low patient volume and a high share of publicly-insured patients, making them more susceptible to financial turbulence caused by federal Medicaid funding cuts. In fact, the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research identified 338 rural hospitals with high shares of Medicaid revenue and low margins that are at risk of closure due to federal funding cuts.

These are some of the hospitals Americans need the most. They fill in access gaps, serving areas and patient populations that would otherwise face even higher barriers to care. Many of them are superstars within their communities, earning straight A’s on the Lown Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility. Even these high-achieving hospitals now face additional challenges; of the top ten critical access hospitals on the Lown Hospitals Index, three are on the Sheps Center list of rural hospitals at risk.

View the full list of Critical Access hospital rankings on our Hospitals Index website.