Effingham Hospital has been recognized as one of the top critical access hospitals in the state.

Georgia Trend magazine, in its review of the state’s top hospitals for the December 2012 issue, listed Effingham Hospital at No. 3 among critical access facilities. Critical access hospitals generally have no more than 25 beds and are located away from larger metropolitan areas and hospitals.

Georgia Trend’s ratings included 72 hospitals across five categories — teaching, large (more than 400 beds), medium-sized (151-399 beds), small hospitals (fewer than 150 beds) and critical access. Hospitals of similar sizes and missions were compared with peer institutions. The magazine also worked with researches and health care professonials at WellStar Health System in Marietta.

Information used to determine rankings included quality of care, patient satisfaction, mortality and readmission statistics and data on hospital-acquired infections and conditions. That data is available at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.