National Rural Health Association Names Sanford Hillsboro Among Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals

Sanford Hillsboro Medical Center has been named a Top 20 Critical Access Hospital by the National Rural Health Association.

Sanford Hillsboro was honored in the “Best Practice Recipients – Quality” category. All hospitals in the quality index study are evaluated across rural-relevant process of care measures.  Each hospital’s performance across these indicators is aggregated and ranked against rural peers nationally. The top 20 CAH’s are recognized for the outstanding quality they deliver to their patients.

“This honor recognizes the dedication of our talented staff members to provide world-class health care to our patients and community,” said Jac McTaggart, Sanford Hillsboro chief executive officer. “Sanford Health takes great pride in being a national leader in rural health care. It is our mission to provide the highest of care to our communities right here in their own backyards.”

The determining factors for the top 20 CAHs are based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX and its eight indices of performance: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance. This elite group of hospitals was selected from the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s 2025 top 100 CAH list, which was released earlier this year.

A full list of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals can be found here.