RAPID CITY, S.D., June 2026 — Monument Health has been named Partner of the Year in the Community Hospital segment at Wellvana’s 11th annual Accountable Care Symposium, held last month in Denver, Colorado. The recognition came as part of the inaugural CARE Awards, which stand for Champions of Accountability, Results and Excellence and replace Wellvana’s longtime Pioneer Awards.
Monument Health is a member of Wellvana’s Accountable Care Organization, a national network of health systems, community hospitals and independent practices working to improve patient outcomes and reduce unnecessary costs through the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Wellvana serves approximately one million Medicare patients across 40 states and collectively saved Medicare $327 million in 2024.
Award candidates were evaluated on some of the most demanding markers of value-based care performance, including readmission rates, avoidable emergency department visits, wellness visit completion, clinical documentation accuracy and shared savings. Monument Health ranked among the top performers across Wellvana’s entire national network regardless of geography or resources.
Among the metrics that earned Monument Health this recognition: an avoidable emergency department visit rate of 177.4 per 1,000, reflecting strong primary care access and care coordination that keeps vulnerable populations connected to the right care in the right setting. Monument Health also launched a Next Day ED Follow-Up Program that produced measurable, sustained reductions in ED utilization, driven by workflow redesign, team training and community partnerships.
Wellvana’s CEO Susan Diamond noted that the organizations being honored have spent years building real systems, real workflows and real cultures committed to better patient outcomes. The CARE Awards signal a shift in how Wellvana views its partner network: no longer trailblazers exploring uncharted territory, but proven standard-bearers demonstrating what accountable care looks like when executed with discipline and commitment to patients.
About Monument Health
Monument Health is a community-based health system headquartered in Rapid City, South Dakota, serving 14 communities across western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. Monument Health includes 5 hospitals, more than 40 clinics and specialty centers, and more than 6,300 physicians and caregivers across 31 specialties. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.
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