Lufkin Texas (December 21, 2017) – The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today released updated Medicare overall hospital quality star ratings on its Hospital Compare website. Woodland Heights Medical Center was the only area hospital to receive a 5-star rating, the highest a facility can receive.
The Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings were first published in July 2016, when CMS, along with key stakeholders, developed the methodology to calculate and display overall hospital-level quality using a star rating system. This was done to make it easier to use and understand the information posted on Hospital Compare, a website designed for consumers to use along with their healthcare provider to make decisions on where to receive care.
“This multi-year journey is a credit to the dedication and collaborative efforts of the entire Woodland Heights team,” states Dr. Imran Nazeer, Chief of Staff for Woodland Heights. “This is no easy task with less than 10% of hospitals in the U.S. receiving the 5-star designation. The entire team is to be commended.”
Several standards were improved at the hospital for it to move from 4-star to 5-star. Timeliness of care was improved through the facility’s 30-minute ER service pledge and the admissions process was made more efficient. Through a collaborative effort with non-hospital health care providers and Long Term Care facilities, re-admission rates have decreased. Additionally, hourly rounding on patients by hospital staff and offering bed-side shift reports have increased the satisfaction of patients.
“The Star Ratings Program is great in that it makes it easier for the consumer to make informed decisions regarding the hospital they choose for care,” states Kyle Swift, CEO of Woodland Heights Medical Center. “The high quality care Woodland Heights offers is a team effort between the entire hospital staff and our physicians and I could not be prouder of the way our patients are cared for.”
Hospital Compare presents information on more than 100 quality measures at over 4,000 hospitals and the star ratings scores are updated on a bi-annual basis on the Hospital Compare
website. Quality measures are related to mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging for common conditions that hospitals treat.
