Office of Rural Health

South Dakota Critical Access Hospital Program

The South Dakota Critical Access Hospital Program (SoDaCAHP) is an effort to help small rural hospitals adjust to the rapidly changing health care environment. The centerpiece of the program is the Critical Access Hospital (CAH). A CAH is a facility that has met certain eligibility standards under Medicare including limitation of bed size and inpatient length of stay. In exchange the facility receives cost-based reimbursement.

To provide clear policy direction in one central document the Office of Rural Health has developed and revised a SoDaCAHP State Rural Health Plan. The plan provides information on CAH eligibility criteria, the steps for CAH designation and certification, and the goals of the SoDaCAHP program.

• Map of South Dakota Critical Access Hospitals