(Atlantic, IA) – Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced the facility was recently recognized as a 2026 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The award marks the tenth year in a row that Cass Health has achieved national recognition. The Top 100 awards program celebrates outstanding performance annually among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®.

Brett Altman, Cass Health CEO, noted, “For the past 10 consecutive years, this honor has served as a powerful vote of confidence from our neighbors. We are deeply grateful to the communities we serve for trusting us with their personal health care needs. While we strive for perfection every day, we are never complacent; we remain committed to challenging the status quo and delivering the meaningful improvements our patients deserve.”

“The delivery of care within rural communities is perhaps more complex today than at any point in recent memory. This year’s Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals have emerged as true leaders – committed to their mission through a powerful combination of resilience, dedication and innovation,” said Michael Topchik, Executive Director of The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “We’re delighted to recognize this year’s winners and celebrate their Top 100 status.”

Now in its 16th year, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is utilized nationwide by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations, and state offices of rural health to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations, quality, patient perspective and finance.