Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network Defining Our Membership
Illinois’ 86 small and rural hospitals deliver high-quality services – including emergency, diagnostic, and primary care - efficiently and affordably to approximately 1.6 million rural Illinois residents – about 12.8% of the state’s population. They provide competent, compassionate, and community-based care, close to home, for the general medical and surgical needs of their patient populations and strive to create an outstanding patient experience.
According to the Illinois Health and Hospital Association Advancing Rural Health - Illinois Small and Rural Hospitals report, Illinois’ small and rural hospitals also serve as many counties’ largest employers, directly employing more than 30,000 people with a total economic impact of $16 billion a year.
Making an Impact
Small and rural hospitals in Illinois account for 22% of all outpatient visits in the state, making them indispensable to the health and well-being of their communities. They ensure that rural residents have access to essential medical services, reduce the strain of travel for healthcare and support the local economy. Their presence is crucial for maintaining public health, particularly in geographically isolated areas.
Our state’s small and rural hospitals treat a larger proportion of older patients, provide more outpatient care and long-term care than urban hospitals. They are dependent on state and federal funding, with Medicare and Medicaid as the primary payers for 73.7% of admitted patients and 61.1% of outpatients.
In addition to regular membership, we also offer an Associate Membership. Any small, rural hospital or critical access hospital located in or outside the state of Illinois may be a non-voting member of ICAHN and eligible to participate in all network activities and services of the corporation.
We are dedicated to bringing valuable services to our members so they may better serve the healthcare needs of their communities.
Take a deeper look at how rural hospitals make a big impact on their communities.
CAH Program Assistance
ICAHN is one of the most knowledgeable resources in Illinois for small, rural hospitals in the following areas.
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Hospital operations
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Rural health clinic set-up
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Survey readiness for CAHs and RHCs
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Hospital licensing assistance
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Medicare CAH and other rural program regulations
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Lean Six Sigma/Black Belt
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Event planning
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State and federal rural grant programs
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CAH rural health advocacy
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Patient satisfaction survey
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Management, quality and performance improvement
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Physician recruitment
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CAH and hospital standards of practice
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Medicare Shared Savings Program
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Coaching and wellness
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Curriculum development on health education and health professional programming
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Assessment, design, and implementation of wellness and chronic disease management
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Strategic visioning and planning, research and development
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Project management and grant-writing
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Rural health programming
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CAH designation
Peer Network Groups and Listservs
ICAHN members can participate in peer network groups and listservs that provide networking and problem-solving opportunities, bringing hospital peers together to interact and share information as a group or individually through email communications.
ICAHN schedules peer network group meetings throughout the year to discuss issues and topics of interest for a variety of departments. All staff from member hospitals are encouraged to join one or more of ICAHN’s current peer groups.
Network members also can participate on department-related listservs to communicate with their peers to ask questions and collaborate on ideas.
Educational Programs & Workshops
ICAHN is recognized as the statewide resource for relevant, high-quality education for leaders of rural hospitals
Healthcare Partnerships
ICAHN partners with national and state rural health, hospital, and educational institutions and affiliations.
Business Partnerships
Business relationships with companies, organizations, and consultants provide education and training, valued business services, and important cost-savings to member hospitals and the network.
