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Critical Access Hospital (CAH)

A small rural hospital that meets certain Medicare criteria and receives special reimbursement to help ensure healthcare access in remote areas. CAHs typically have no more than 25 inpatient beds and an annual average length of stay of 96 hours or less for acute care patients.

Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program

A federal program that allows states to establish networks of rural healthcare providers and designate eligible rural hospitals as Critical Access Hospitals, which receive enhanced Medicare reimbursement.

Title XVIII of the Social Security Act

The section of federal law that established the Medicare program, which provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease.

Designation or Redesignation

The official process by which a state or federal agency grants a specific status or certification to a hospital or healthcare facility, such as recognizing it as a Critical Access Hospital.

Mileage limitations

Rules that require a rural hospital to be a minimum distance (e.g., 35 miles) from another hospital to qualify for certain programs or statuses.