Critical Access Hospital
Gravette, Arkansas
1101 Jackson St. SW
Gravette, AR 72736
479-787-5291
Ozarks Community Hospital of Gravette is a critical access hospital. The facility originally opened as Gravette Medical Center in 1955, founded by Dr. Billy V. Hall. Gravette Medical Center Hospital in Benton County, Arkansas suspended patient care for financial reasons in 2005, cutting 65-70 jobs and leaving the town struggling to find a way to reopen its hospital. OCH of Gravette reopened with 10 inpatient beds and focuses on stabilizing emergent patients and transferring them to another facility. The 24-hour emergency room adheres to EMTALA regulations and performs an emergency medical screening exam on all patients who present to the ER. If it is determined that an emergency medical condition exists, the patient will be stabilized and, if necessary, transported to another facility. If it is determined that an emergency medical condition does not exist, the patient will be referred to a medically appropriate urgent care facility or physician's office.
The critical access hospital distinction is an important factor in reopening the facility. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), legislation enacted as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 authorizes states to establish State Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Programs, under which certain facilities participating in Medicare can become Critical Access Hospitals (CAH). Among other factors, a hospital must be located in a rural area, furnish 24-hour ER services, provide no more than 25 inpatient beds and have an average annual length of stay of 96 hours or less to meet the following criteria to be designated a CAH.