Case Study: Surveying Decision Makers at Critical Access Hospitals
- Medical Mile Research
- Aug 26
- 2 min read
Key Points
Critical Access Hospital (CAH) executives and administrators are among the hardest-to-reach segments for survey-based research.
Interest in CAH decision makers has grown as solutions are needed for rural care delivery and an aging population less able to travel for care.
Medical Mile successfully delivered N=83 completes in just 5 business days, all from verified CAH decision makers.
A hybrid screening approach (title + function, with bed size and geography targeting) ensured the best-qualified mix of participants.
Background
Consultants needed to assess market dynamics among leaders of Critical Access Hospitals. These facilities serve as essential access points for patients in rural communities, many of whom live far from urban centers. With an aging population increasingly unable to travel long distances for care, CAHs are under heightened focus in strategy and investment decisions.
Challenge
Limited pool of decision makers across CAHs.
Many executives wear multiple hats, making time for surveys difficult.
Networks not specialized in healthcare could not provide meaningful feasibility.
Client required a minimum of N=75 completes within a 5-business-day fielding window.
Solution: Medical Mile’s Approach
Leveraged proprietary panel of U.S. healthcare decision makers, filtered specifically for CAH executives and administrators.
Implemented a hybrid screening approach:
Title-based and functional-role screening to validate true decision-making authority.
Targeted by number of hospital beds and geographic region to ensure balanced representation.
Optimized screener for efficiency: under 3 minutes to qualify, minimizing burden on busy executives.
Provided consultants with transparent feasibility forecast and real-time monitoring throughout the 5-day field period.
Results
Delivered N=83 CAH decision maker completes in 5 business days.
Qualification rate of 41% when targeting by relevant title and facility type
Hybrid screening ensured a representative mix of CAHs by size and geography.
Participants were validated and response quality was consistent with expectations.
Insights allowed advisory team to model service line adoption, financial risk scenarios, and tech utilization.
Why It Matters for Consultants
Critical Access Hospitals play an outsized role in U.S. healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities. Reliable access to their executives enables consultants to:
Assess market feasibility with real-world input.
Advise clients on investment or expansion strategies.
Deliver recommendations that account for rural hospital realities.
Support solutions tailored to aging populations and patients with limited mobility.
Conclusion
By focusing exclusively on healthcare and applying a precision-first recruitment model, Medical Mile provides consultants with the scale and representativeness needed to capture insights from the hardest-to-reach hospital leaders. For Critical Access Hospitals, that means consultants can ground strategy in verified, reliable data rather than assumptions.
Medical Mile Research
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