Saint Joseph Berea Named Among Nation’s Top Critical Access Hospitals for Patient Satisfaction

BEREA, Ky. (June 10, 2026) – Saint Joseph Berea was recently named one of the 2026 Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals for patient satisfaction in the country.

The Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals, including Saint Joseph Berea, scored best among critical access hospitals as determined by the Chartis Center for Rural Health for patient satisfaction. The rankings were recently announced by the National Rural Health Association. An awards ceremony will be held during the association's Critical Access Hospital Conference in September in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals have achieved success in overall performance based on a composite rating from eight indices of strength: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and finance. This group was selected from the Chartis Center for Rural Health’s 2026 top 100 critical access hospitals list, which was released earlier this year.

The Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals best practice recipients have achieved success in one of two key areas of performance:

• Quality index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across rural-relevant process of care measures.

• Patient perspective index: A rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across all 10 HCAHPS domains.

“Saint Joseph Berea is proud of the efforts of the physicians and staff who have contributed to our hospital achieving this designation,” said John Yanes, FACHE, President of Saint Joseph Berea. “As a critical access facility, we are here to serve our community with the compassion, excellence and integrity our patients may not otherwise receive due to rural care limitations. Our results as a top 20 hospital for patient satisfaction means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”

Learn more about Saint Joseph Berea.

About Saint Joseph Health

Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 15 cities, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services to build a healthier future for all. Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph Berea

Saint Joseph Berea is a 25-bed critical access hospital located in Berea, Kentucky. Established in 1898 on the grounds of Berea College, the facility serves residents of Madison, Estill, Garrard, Jackson and Rockcastle counties. Saint Joseph Berea recognizes the importance of family, friends and familiar surroundings in the healing process and provides a breadth of services so that getting first-rate care doesn’t have to mean being far from home.

About NRHA

NRHA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and provide leadership on rural health issues through advocacy, communications, education, and research. NRHA’s membership is made up of diverse individuals and organizations from across the country, all of whom share the common bond of an interest in rural health.

About Chartis

Chartis is a comprehensive health care advisory firm dedicated to helping clients build a healthier world. We work across the health care continuum with more than 900 clients annually, including providers, payers, health services organizations, technology and retail companies, and investors. Through times of change, challenge, and opportunity, we advise the industry on how to navigate disruption, pursue growth, achieve financial sustainability, unleash technology, improve care models and operations, enhance clinical quality and safety, and advance health equity. The teams we convene bring deep industry expertise and industry leading innovation, enabling clients to achieve transformational results and create positive societal impact.  For more information, visit www.chartis.com.