CRHC Achieves 4-Star Rating from CMS
In July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released this years’ data regarding overall and patient experience ratings. Clarinda Regional Health Center achieved a 4-Star overall quality rating. Only 10 Critical Access Hospitals received a four star overall quality rating in Iowa. CRHC is the only hospital in the Southwest Iowa area to be designated a 4-Star Hospital by CMS. Only two Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) in the state of Iowa received the overall 5-Star rating, the highest designation awarded by CMS.
The star ratings are updated annually by CMS and is based on 100 measures that are divided into measure groups of categories such as: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, timely and effective care. CMS’s website states, “The overall rating shows how well each hospital performed on an identified set of quality measures compared to other hospitals in the US. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures.”
“We have an amazing team here at CRHC that is committed to providing every patient with safe and effective quality care,” shares CRHC Quality and Accreditation Manager, Lisa Haffner. “The CMS star program allows for hospitals to be compared over a wide range of quality initiatives which requires the participation and dedication of every staff member in every area of the hospital. The four-star rating proves that quality of care matters to us.”
CRHC’s dedication to improving care is further demonstrated by their commitment accreditation through DNV in 2021. Haffner shares a bit about the process stating, “DNV provides a yearly evaluation of our facility to make sure we are meeting state regulations, CMS guidelines, and international requirements (ISO). DNV helps improve patient safety, quality of care, and actively identifies area for improvement.”
The CMS Hospital Compare website, www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare, provides patients and families with the information they need to compare the performance of hospitals when they are choosing where to seek medical care. The overall hospital rating ranges from 1 to 5 stars. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures.
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