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Critical Access Hospital (CAH)

A small, rural hospital that provides essential healthcare services to its community, typically having 25 or fewer beds and located a certain distance from other hospitals. They receive special Medicare payments to help them stay open.

Mountainous Terrain or Secondary Roads Distance Requirement

A specific rule that allows a rural hospital to qualify as a Critical Access Hospital even if it's closer than the usual distance to another hospital, because the travel over mountains or on secondary roads makes access difficult.

Social Security Act

A comprehensive law passed in 1935 that established several programs, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which provide social insurance and welfare benefits.

Designation

The official recognition of a hospital as a Critical Access Hospital by the federal government, which grants it certain benefits and payment structures under Medicare.

Ambulance Services

Emergency medical transport provided by vehicles specially equipped for patient care, often to and from hospitals.

Medicare

The federal health insurance program for people 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease.