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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its hospital ranking for 2021, giving South County Hospital two 5-Star ratings – Overall Hospital Quality and Patient Experience.
No other hospital in Rhode Island received a 5-Star ranking in either category.
Only 455 hospitals across the country earned 5-Stars in at least one category.
The CMS Hospital Quality Star rating system was created by Medicare in July 2016 to help healthcare consumers make informed decisions by simplifying complex criteria that measures healthcare quality.
Overall Hospital Quality
The Hospital Quality rating is calculated by CMS, the federal agency that runs the Medicare program, using data from hospital industry and public sector stakeholders, including The Joint Commission (TJC), the National Quality Forum (NQF), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). These stakeholders collaborate to publicly report results of hospital performance data in such areas as:
- Mortality
- Safety of care
- Readmission
- Patient experience
- Effectiveness of care
- Timeliness of care
- Efficient use of medical imaging
Patient Experience
Patient Experience is measured using a national survey that asks patients about their experiences during a recent hospital stay. The survey is administered by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS).
South County Hospital is the only hospital in Rhode Island to have been awarded 5-Star rankings in Hospital Quality and Patient Experience since CMS implemented the system, earning the distinction in 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2017.