Updated at 2:10 p.m.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN – South County Hospital is one of only 19 hospitals in the United States to receive the highest score of five stars in two areas used to measure health care excellence – overall hospital quality and patient experience. No other New England hospitals were among the 19 hospitals included in the listing.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services developed the Star Rating System – from one to five stars – to simplify criteria measuring health care quality to enable health care consumers to make informed decisions when choosing providers. The ratings are assigned to more than 4,000 hospitals across the nation.
“Our staff is focused on delivering the best patient care possible. We strive to ensure that our health care system performs up to our own high expectations,” Lou Giancola, South County Health president and CEO, said in the statement. “When the data reinforces the success and feedback we get from our patients, it reassures us that we are providing quality care, centered on the patient. It also inspires us to work harder to improve outcomes and the patient experience.”
The Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating incorporates 57 measures on outcomes using data collected from several sources, including the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program and patient experience scores. Scores are based on mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging. Patient experience scores are based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, a national survey that asks discharged patients 27 questions about their hospital stay. South County Hospital received high scores from patients on their hospital experiences regarding communications with their doctors and nurses, understanding their medication instructions and coordination of their health care needs.
South County Hospital, which is currently Rhode Island’s only independent community hospital, has 100 beds, announced last month that is in discussions with Yale New Haven Health System.
For a complete listing of all 19 hospitals, visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/rankings-and-ratings/the-19-double-5-star-hospitals.html
Nancy Kirsch is a contributing writer for PBN.
