Awards + Recognitions

Myrtue Medical Center TOP 100 CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITALS in the U.S. – Myrtue has been named one of the 100 highest-ranked Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. This annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX™. Myrtue has received the Top 100 recognition for 10 of the last 11 years. Only seven of approximately 1300 Critical Access Hospitals in the nation have received this award 10 or more times placing Myrtue in a very elite group.

“Our mission and goals revolve around improving community health, providing quality patient care and high patient satisfaction, and being fiscally responsible. The Chartis Group’s INDEX methodology uses publicly reported data to benchmark hospital performance in areas such as quality, outcomes, patient perspective and market share,” said Barry Jacobsen, Myrtue Medical Center’s CEO. “It is an honor to be recognized for the great work that our team members do every day at Myrtue. Even though the last two years have presented many extraordinary challenges for our staff, they continue to perform with resilience and dedicated commitment to our community.”

Each of the 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. were considered for the Top 100 Critical Access Hospital rankings. The Top 100 CAHs play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX utilizes 36 rural-relevant indicators to assess performance.

Myrtue Medical Center TOP 100 CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITALS in the U.S. – Myrtue has been named one of the 100 highest-ranked Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. This annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX™. Myrtue has received the Top 100 recognition for 10 of the last 11 years. Only seven of approximately 1300 Critical Access Hospitals in the nation have received this award 10 or more times placing Myrtue in a very elite group.

“Our mission and goals revolve around improving community health, providing quality patient care and high patient satisfaction, and being fiscally responsible. The Chartis Group’s INDEX methodology uses publicly reported data to benchmark hospital performance in areas such as quality, outcomes, patient perspective and market share,” said Barry Jacobsen, Myrtue Medical Center’s CEO. “It is an honor to be recognized for the great work that our team members do every day at Myrtue. Even though the last two years have presented many extraordinary challenges for our staff, they continue to perform with resilience and dedicated commitment to our community.”

Each of the 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. were considered for the Top 100 Critical Access Hospital rankings. The Top 100 CAHs play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX utilizes 36 rural-relevant indicators to assess performance.

Myrtue Medical Center has received the Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus Referring Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. Myrtue is the first Critical Access Hospital in the state of Iowa to receive this elite cardiac care designation.

This is the third year in a row that the American Heart Association has recognized the hospital for saving lives. In 2019, Myrtue received the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Referring Quality Achievement Award. In 2020, Myrtue received the Mission: Lifeline® Gold Referring Quality Achievement Award by applying the most up-to-date evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and cardiac outcomes in our community.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

Myrtue Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for promptly diagnosing STEMI patients and transferring them to hospitals that provide emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries when needed.

“Teamwork among providers and staff at Myrtue, Medivac, Shelby County Emergency Responders, and the receiving hospitals, is the reason this award is possible. The ability to quickly get a patient to a cath lab is heart muscle saving. This recognition for our level of cardiac care is truly an honor,” said Jenny Lefeber, manager of Myrtue’s Emergency Department.

Myrtue was named one of the 100 highest-ranked Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Myrtue is the only Iowa hospital to receive this award nine years in a row and is among only seven other CAH hospitals in the U.S. that have received the award nine times. Regarded as one of the industry’s most significant designations of performance excellence, the annual Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals award is based upon the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX® from iVantage Health Analytics. Each of the 1300 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States were considered for the rankings.

In addition to the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals award, Myrtue Medical Center is the first Critical Access Hospital in the state of Iowa to receive American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Silver Referring achievement award. Myrtue Medical Center has received the Mission: Lifeline® Silver Referring Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. Myrtue is the first Critical Access Hospital in the state of Iowa to receive this elite cardiac care designation.

Myrtue Medical Center was recently named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health.

“This achievement is very gratifying and validates our daily commitment to providing the best healthcare possible to our community, while maintaining an efficient and effective facility. I am especially proud of being a seven-year recipient of this award. ” said Barry Jacobsen, CEO Myrtue Medical Center. “Very few hospitals, big or small, can make that statement. I also know we have received this recognition repeatedly because we have a tremendous staff comprised of dedicated, competent, and caring individuals.”

Myrtue Medical Center scored in the top 100 of Critical Access Hospitals on the iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength INDEX®. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural provider performance and its results are the basis for many of rural healthcare’s most prominent awards, advocacy efforts and legislative initiatives. The list of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals can be found at www.ivantageindex.com/top-performing-hospitals.

The Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals play a key role in providing a safety net to communities across America – and the INDEX measures these facilities across eight pillars of hospital strength: Inpatient Share Ranking, Outpatient Share Ranking, Cost, Charge, Quality, Outcomes, Patient Perspective, and Financial Stability.

“I am incredibly proud of Myrtue and all my co-workers for this honor, but it does not surprise me,” said Dr. Hannah Johnk. “I see excellence on a daily basis from every department, with patients always at the center of our efforts. You can see the care each person puts into their work in order to make this such a great place.”