News Photo by Kayla Wikaryasz MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena is seen on Monday. The Alpena hospital was ranked among the National Rural Health Association’s top rural and community hospitals.

ALPENA — MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena was recently named one of the Top 20 Rural and Community Hospitals in the country by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena’s president, Hunter Nostrant, said that the recognition reflects the hard work of the hospital staff and their commitment to patient care.

“Rural healthcare poses some challenges,” Nostrant said. “The staff face challenges everyday to take care of the community . . . In totality, (the ranking) signifies the work of our staff.”

The top 20 hospitals are chosen from NRHA’s list of the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals in the nation. This national title is representative of the standard of care set by MyMichigan Alpena and the daily work of all involved with the daily operations of the center.

Nostrant said the NRHA ranking represents “Advocacy for rural health care.”

The NRHA is a nonprofit organization that promotes the health and well-being of individuals living in rural America. The organization provides leadership for rural community hospitals through advocacy, research, education, and communication.

“The ranking is composed of different factors,” Nostrant said.

The NRHA’s Top 20 Rural and Community Hospitals ranking is based on evaluation criteria set by the Chartis Center for Rural Health.

Chartis is a health care advisory firm that works with a number of clients in the healthcare industry. These clients range from providers and health services organizations to investors and retail companies.

The Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX criteria for top-ranking rural hospitals include: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance.

The INDEX is used by the healthcare industry, nationally, to gauge rural hospital performance. The INDEX uses publicly available data to assess rural hospital performance.

Norstrant said, “The ranking shows we are setting the bar very high in Alpena…in turn, it enhances community trust.”

Nostrant believes that MyMichigan Alpena ranked in NRHA’s Top 20 because of the quality of care that the center provides.

He explained that the recognition is a result of the innovative practices that the center promotes and the patient-focused care that MyMichigan Alpena is committed to.

Nostrant noted that part of MyMichigan Alpena’s strategy for success is taking feedback from patients and incorporating those suggestions into improvements to the center and the way patients are cared for.

Nostrant attributes patient feedback and hard work from the center’s staff as factors in the national ranking. He also attributes those factors to the center’s ability to meet the needs of diverse patients.

“We take a variety of different perspectives to help formulate a plan to offer care to the community,” Nostrant said.

Further, Nostrant believes that the ranking helps build community confidence in MyMichigan Alpena and shows that the center is committed to providing high-quality health care.

Looking to the future, and to keep the momentum going, Nostrant said MyMichigan Alpena plans to invest in more hospital resources, develop and provide more training for its staff, capture more community feedback, and strengthen its community partnership.

Nostrant’s focus is on how MyMichigan Alpena can provide the best care for its patients.

“We are going to continue to make improvements to the medical center,” Nostrant said. “We plan to keep (the momentum) going with the team.”

MyMichigan Medical Centers in Sault Ste. Marie and Tawas were also included in the NRHA’s Top 20 Rural and Community Hospitals ranking.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.