CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital received a five-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week as part of its annual rating of hospitals nationwide.
The federal agency assigns ratings based on 46 hospital quality measures. These measures are divided into five quality categories: safety of care, mortality, patient experience, readmission rates and timely and effective care.
CMS awarded 102 fewer hospitals five-stars in 2024 compared to 2023. Mercy was among 381 hospitals that received a five-star rating.
“Patient safety is at the forefront of all we do and this recognition solidifies our team’s commitment to ensuring all patients are receiving the highest quality of care when they come through our doors,” said Josh Neff, Mercy Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, in a news release.
Neff began his duties as CEO in July after former CEO Brandon Mencini took a job in Oregon. Neff came into the role with the promise of staying with the company.
Neff’s predecessors each held the position for just under two years.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our employees for their consistent dedication to our mission of making the healing presence of God known in our world by improving the health of the people we serve,” Neff later said. “Our people are the heart of what we do and this recognition is a testament of the incredible care they provide our community every day.”
CMS’s star ratings are meant to capture a hospital’s performance over a period of time, and it’s likely to change year to year.
“CMS’s top priority is to ensure access to safe, comprehensive health care. An important part of CMS’s commitment to patient safety is ensuring public access to the highest quality data regarding the performance of health care facilities,” CMS spokesman Jibril Boykin said on Monday.
CMS uses the Care Compare Tool and Provider Data Catalog to compile these rankings. The Care Compare Tool allows users to search for hospitals by location and name, and to view the quality of each medical facility. The Provider Data Catalog allows users to view data sets containing hospital quality measurement data for over 5,000 facilities to help CMS develop its score.
Boykin said the “optimal strategy to improve the overall star rating” varies by each hospital.
“Depending on each measure, the weight each measure contributes to the overall star rating for the hospital and the resources available for a hospital to address performance on a given measure,” he said.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
