Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) in Oakland, MD, was recently named one of the top 20 rural and community hospitals in the country. This is the third time GRMC has received national recognition as a top 20 rural and community hospital.
The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) has announced the 20 highest-ranked prospective payment system hospitals in the country based on an evaluation by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. The hospitals are identified using the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX, the most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural PPS hospital performance. These hospitals will be recognized on May 22 during NRHA’s Annual Rural Health Conference in Atlanta.
The determining factors for the top 20 rural and community hospitals are based on eight indices: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge, and finance.
“This is a tremendous achievement for our hospital and is a reflection of our dedicated and caring staff who fulfill our mission in treating our patients like family,” stated Mark Boucot, President and CEO of GRMC and Potomac Valley Hospital. “GRMC is a national benchmark leader in patient safety and outcomes. Our recognition as a top health care provider means our community can count on us to deliver the services they need now and in the future.”
GRMC is committed to patient safety-focused initiatives to increase communication and eliminate all possible hospital-acquired infections, blood clots, serious medication errors, and preventable harm events.
From January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, GRMC reported 0% in preventable harm events, venous thrombosis, surgical site infection rates, and serious medication errors. The hospital has .03% of hospital-acquired infections during that timeframe.
GRMC also received the prestigious honor of Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health for 2025, marking the seventh consecutive year of recognition. GRMC is one of only two hospitals in Maryland to make the list.
As a full member of the WVU Health System, GRMC continues to grow the specialty services available to the 46,000 people in GRMC’s service area, which includes parts of eight counties across Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. GRMC provides behavioral health, cancer care and infusion, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, dermatology, heart and vascular care, integrative pain management, nephrology and urology, podiatry, urology, and women’s healthcare services, among others.
For more information about Garrett Regional Medical Center, visit wvumedicine.org/Garrett.
