At Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC), we are proud to be a small, community-based hospital committed to improving the lives of those we serve.
Mt. Ascutney was founded in 1933 through the efforts of local citizens determined to keep a hospital and high-quality medical care in the community. Since that time we have continued to achieve this mission through our commitment to excellence and to a partnership with our community.
Our awards and accreditations speak to the efforts of our staff and their dedication to excellence. They remain our greatest asset.
Best Place for Working Parents® 2024
Dartmouth Health earned the Best Place for Working Parents designation from the national organization Best Place for Working Parents (BP4WP). Read more on the Dartmouth Health website.
Rising Star Award – Coolest Employer for Young People 2024
Dartmouth Health was named the "Coolest Employer for Young People" in 2024 by Stay Work Play New Hampshire at its annual Rising Star Awards event. Read more on the Dartmouth Health website.
Becker’s Top Rehab Hospital in Vermont 2024
MAHHC ranked the top rehab hospital in Vermont in Becker’s Hospital Review top rehabilitation hospital in every state for 2024 list.
Newsweek's America's Best-In-State Hospitals 2024
MAHHC ranked among Vermont hospitals by Newsweek's America's Best-In-State Hospitals 2024 list. MAHHC is the only Vermont hospital listed with the Patient Satisfaction Award.
Three other Dartmouth Health system member hospitals were included in the annual rankings. Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, both located in Lebanon, New Hampshire; and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) in Bennington, Vermont.
2023 Press Ganey HX Guardian of Excellence-Employee Experience Award
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center has been recognized for the second year in a row by Press Ganey with a prestigious Guardian of Excellence Award®. This year our recognition for multi-year employee engagement has enabled us to be a recipient of the 2023 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award.
Mt. Ascutney Hospital scored in the top 5 percent of Press Ganey clients and is being recognized amongst other organizations across the nation that show the highest levels of standards in Employee Experience!
2023 Chartis Performance Leadership Award
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, a member of Dartmouth Health, has been honored with the 2023 Performance Leadership Award from Chartis, a leading national healthcare consulting firm. The award celebrates top-quartile performance in quality, outcomes, and patient perspective in rural hospitals across the US. MAHHC earned this award in the patient perspective category, scoring in the 75th percentile among more than 2,000 rural hospitals nationally.
Chartis reviews 38 rural-relevant metrics in selecting the Performance Leadership Award winners. Each of the approximately 2,100 rural hospitals in the INDEX is percentile ranked across eight performance pillars: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and finance.
2022 Press Ganey HX Guardian of Excellence-Patient Experience Award
MAHHC’s Acute Rehabilitation Center has been recognized as a 2022 Press Ganey Human Experience Award winner. The Hospital won the HX Guardian of Excellence-Patient Experience Award, Inpatient Rehabilitation, which "honors organizations that perform in the top 5% of healthcare organizations for patient experience, employee engagement, physician engagement or clinical quality performance in one year," according to Press Ganey, the nationwide leader in human experience healthcare performance improvement. Press Ganey selected its award recipients based on a range of scores which measure hospital performance, including patient experience, positive reports on clinical staff teamwork, and patients' likelihood to recommend the hospital or health system. See a TV news story on the award.
CARF Accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) bestows accreditation on rehabilitation programs that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to quality improvement, a focus on patients, and continual monitoring of results.
We are proud to be the only facility in northern New England to be CARF-accredited in our acute inpatient, outpatient, and stroke specialty rehabilitation programs. CARF reviewed the programs, from preadmission to the administration of care, with particular attention on the Rehabilitation Center’s multidisciplinary team approach, and the way the entire care team works together for patients.
The CARF International is a nonprofit accreditor of medical rehabilitation, aging services, child services, opioid treatment programs and more, currently accrediting more than 50,000 programs and services at 25,000 locations worldwide. CARF's mission is to promote the quality, value and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of persons served.
Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation
The Emergency Department at MAHHC is the first in Vermont to earn accreditation as a Level 2 Geriatric Emergency Department from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
The accreditation recognizes emergency departments that uphold the highest care standards for older patients, by following best practices, stressing patient education, and guaranteeing the best transitions from the emergency department to other settings, such as hospital inpatient units or skilled nursing communities.
ACEP represents more than 38,000 emergency physicians, emergency medicine residents and medical students, promoting high quality emergency care while advocating for emergency physicians, patients, and the public.
The 2011 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service
This important national award recognizes Mt. Ascutney's innovative programs and efforts that significantly improve the health and well-being of our community. Some of the programs recognized by this award include:
- The Windsor Community Health Clinic, which provides free health care and case management for uninsured and under-insured patients.
- The Substance Abuse Prevention Program, which has made significant progress in decreasing tobacco use and high-risk behaviors among 8th through 12th graders in four area towns.
- Historic Homes of Runnemede, which provides licensed residential care and independent living for seniors in historic buildings right in the heart of our community.
2018 ENERGY STAR®
MAHHC has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2018 Energy Star certification for performing in the top 25 percent of all hospitals nationwide for energy efficiency and meeting strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. Mt. Ascutney Hospital was Vermont's highest-scoring hospital.
MAHHC’s major energy efficiency projects include an upgrade of interior and exterior lighting to more efficient LED technologies, a solar array on the property, and installation of a data analytics software tool that helps contractors and hospital staff implement controls optimization and achieve setback savings. Use of such tools uncovered an opportunity to improve efficiency through the implementation of a hospital-wide chilled water system.
Community hospitals such as MAHHC have significant energy demands due to the advanced technology required to provide healthcare excellence. MAHHC has taken the necessary steps to become more responsible stewards of the environment while lowering costs, and ensuring that its spaces are all illuminated and climate-controlled for patient comfort according to industry best practices.
AACVPR Certification
The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) has awarded a three-year certification to the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at MAHHC. AACVPR-certified programs are recognized as leaders in the field of cardiovascular rehabilitation because they offer the most advanced practices available. AACVPR is a multidisciplinary professional association of health professionals dedicated to reducing morbidity, mortality and disability from cardiovascular and pulmonary disease through education, prevention, rehabilitation, research and disease management.
To earn the certification, MAHHC developed and implemented an expansion of cardiac rehabilitation capabilities, increasing program hours from three to five days a week. Participants receive individualized care over 36 sessions, with personalized exercise routines, including both aerobic and strengthening exercise, as well as education on topics such as nutrition, smoking cessation and basic wellness. The program takes a systematized approach to health assessments, giving each participant regular evaluations, monitoring personal risk factors and helping them to track their physical and psycho-social progress.
American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) Accreditation
MAHHC has received accreditation by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). AADE is a National Accredited Organization (NAO) for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Accreditation represents a high level of quality and service to the community, and the ability to better meet the needs of Medicare recipients and others affected by diabetes in the Upper Valley.
Accredited programs must meet the 2017 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support; 10 standards that are revised every five years by a group of diabetes care and education specialists representing both AADE and the American Diabetes Association and approved by CMS. Programs must maintain compliance with the Standards during the four-year accreditation cycle.
American College of Radiology (ACR)
American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation requires that our Radiology Department meets high-practice standards in a review conducted by physicians and medical physicists who are experts in radiology. Our radiological services include Diagnostic Radiology, Mammography, Ultrasound, CT Scan, and Bone Densitometry, and we also offer MRI and Echocardiography one day a week.
CMS Accreditation
Mt. Ascutney Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital accredited by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare of the federal government.
Governor's Award of Excellence in Worksite Wellness
MAHHC received an Excellence in Worksite Wellness award from the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and the Vermont Department of Health. The award recognizes MAHHC’s efforts to foster a workplace that promotes the health and wellness of its employees.
MAHHC has a long-standing commitment to workplace wellness. Staff members enjoy a smoke-free campus and a cafeteria that features a wholesome, nutritious and mindful food selection. Employees can participate in programs like the Kinetic Activity Monitor Program to measure physical activity or they can attend classes for weight loss, exercise, yoga, stress reduction and smoking cessation, most of which are sponsored by MAHHC and offered on-site.
MAHCC also offers health risk assessments during both work hours and off-hours to accommodate various schedules and enable employees to earn insurance premium discounts.
HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 Recognition
MAHHC is the recipient of a Stage 6 level for Electronic Medical Record Adoption by HIMSS Analytics, a Chicago-based health care consulting firm.
Achieving Stage 6 status signifies that a hospital is implementing technology solutions that improve the safety of patients and further enhance the existing level of high-quality care.
At the time of the award only 13 percent of hospitals in the United States carried the Stage 6 designation from HIMSS. It represents a level of sophistication that only 705 U.S. hospitals have reached to date.
"Most Wired": American Hospital Association
MAHHC has been named one of America's "Most Wired" hospitals by the American Hospital Association (AHA) in recognition of its successful adoption of information technology (IT) to enhance clinical performance. All hospitals on the list have demonstrated a strong commitment to using IT resources to improve their operational, financial, and clinical services.
One of the most important examples of clinical improvement is the use of TeleHealth technology, which MAHHC implemented in the hospital’s Emergency Department. In an emergency where immediate consultation with a specialist is required, TeleHealth technology allows the MAHHC to connect with board-certified TeleEmergency specialists using a two-way, high-definition video/audio link. This allows the specialista to be virtually ‘in the room’ with the patient, diagnosing and directing care.
In addition to TeleHealth, MAHHC also uses tools such as patient portals to build stronger relationships with patients. MAHHC has also added TelePharmacy services for evening and weekend support and plans to implement TeleNeurology and TeleStroke care services.
National Rural Health Association: Best Practices award
MAHHC has received Best Practice recognition for health care quality by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) The award is part of NRHA's survey of critical access rural hospitals throughout the United States by iVantage Health Analytics.
Best Practice/Quality designation is given to critical access hospitals that have achieved high-performance ratings based on percentile rankings across five categories of "Hospital Compare", iVantage's care measuring tool.
IVantage's Hospital Strength INDEX® utilizes publicly available data sets to quantify overall hospital performance in nine areas, including quality. MAHHC was one of only 20 critical access hospitals receiving “Best Practice” designation for 2016 in this category. Care was measured in several areas including acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, surgical care improvement, and outpatient care.
NCQA: Patient-Centered Medical Home™
MAHHC is the recipient of Level 3 Recognition as a Patient-Centered Medical Home™ (PCMH™) by The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. Level 3 Recognition is the highest level attainable.
The Patient-Centered Medical Home program is a care delivery model in which treatment is coordinated through primary care physicians to ensure that patients receive care when and where they need it and are active partners in their health care. The NCQA's Patient-Centered Medical Home program recognizes primary care providers who have demonstrated they can effectively coordinate care among all of their patients’ health care providers. The model benefits patients by giving them better access through expanded hours and web support, helping them understand their treatment options and better manage chronic conditions while creating a partnership with their provider.
To qualify for Level 3 PCMH recognition, MAHHC's outpatient clinics at MAHHC in Windsor and the Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock successfully met a comprehensive range of performance benchmarks for patient care, including effective planning, coordination and access to care, as well as measuring performance and quality.