What makes a hospital "critical access"
Congress created the designation to keep hospitals open in rural places. CMS's main conditions are:
- No more than 25 inpatient beds, used for acute care or swing beds (plus up to 10 beds each in psychiatric or rehabilitation units)
- An annual average stay of 96 hours or less for acute inpatient care
- Emergency care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- More than 35 miles from the nearest hospital, or 15 miles in mountains or where only secondary roads exist (some hospitals certified before 2006 as state-designated "necessary providers" are grandfathered)
Medicare pays critical access hospitals under a separate method based on their costs, instead of the fixed rates most hospitals get. That helps small hospitals with few patients stay open.
Oregon's 25 critical access hospitals
Oregon's Office of Rural Health counts 25 critical access hospitals among the state's 37 rural and frontier hospitals. They are in these towns:
| Region | Towns |
|---|---|
| North and central coast | Astoria, Seaside, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Newport, Florence, Reedsport |
| South coast | Coquille, Bandon, Gold Beach |
| Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge | Dallas, Lebanon, Cottage Grove, Hood River |
| Central Oregon | Madras, Prineville |
| Eastern Oregon | Pendleton, Hermiston, Heppner, La Grande, Enterprise, Baker City, John Day, Burns, Lakeview |
What it means for you
- Original Medicare covers inpatient care under Part A and outpatient and emergency care under Part B, as at any hospital that accepts Medicare.
- Swing beds let a critical access hospital with CMS approval provide skilled nursing care after a hospital stay, so you can recover closer to home.
- Medicare Advantage members should check whether their local hospital is in network for planned care. In several eastern Oregon counties, no Medicare Advantage plan is open to everyone for 2027; see your county.
More in our rural Oregon Medicare guide.
Related questions
Does Medicare cover telehealth in Oregon?
Visits from home through 2027.
Does Medicare cover skilled nursing in Oregon?
Days covered and what you pay.
Does Medicare cover ambulance in Oregon?
Ground and air transport rules.
Sources
- CMS — Critical access hospitals
- Oregon Office of Rural Health (OHSU) — Oregon's critical access hospitals
- Medicare.gov — Skilled nursing facility care
More questions in this guide
- Can I get an early prescription refill during a wildfire?
- Does Medicare cover telehealth in Oregon?
- Does Medicare pay for an air purifier for wildfire smoke or a generator for my oxygen?
- Is there a Medicare special enrollment period after an Oregon wildfire?
- What happens to my Medicare if I evacuate for a wildfire?
Part of the guide: Medicare in Rural Oregon · All questions
Frequently asked questions
Does Medicare Advantage cover care at a critical access hospital?
Emergency care is covered at any hospital. For planned care, check whether the hospital is in your plan's network before you go.
Can I get skilled nursing care at a critical access hospital?
Yes, if it has swing-bed approval. Medicare Part A covers skilled care in a swing bed under the same rules as a skilled nursing facility, including a qualifying hospital stay.
What happens if I need care the hospital can't provide?
Critical access hospitals stabilize patients and transfer them to larger hospitals when needed. Medicare covers medically necessary ambulance transport.
Medicare in your Oregon county
Plans, local agents and help, county by county: Multnomah · Washington · Clackamas · Lane · Marion · Jackson · Deschutes · Linn · Douglas · Yamhill · Benton · Polk · Josephine · Umatilla · Klamath · Coos · Columbia · Lincoln · Clatsop · Malheur · All 36 counties →
