The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its first-ever hospital ratings and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center was one of a handful in Northeast Ohio to achieve a 4-star rating. The highest possible rating is 5 stars, but only 251 of the nation's 3,500 hospitals achieved the highest possible rating, none of those were in Northeast Ohio.

The Hospital Compare star ratings relate to patients’ experience of care at almost 3,500 Medicare-certified acute care hospitals. The ratings are based on data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) measures that are included in Hospital Compare. HCAHPS has been in use since 2006 to measure patients’ perspectives of hospital care, and includes topics like:

•           How well nurses and doctors communicated with patients

•           How responsive hospital staff were to patient needs

•           How clean and quiet hospital environments were

•           How well patients were prepared for post-hospital settings

“The patient experience Star Ratings will make it easier for consumers to use the information on the Hospital Compare website and spotlight excellence in health care quality,” said Dr. Patrick Conway, Acting Principal Deputy Administrator for CMS and Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Quality. “These star ratings also encourage hospitals and clinicians to strive to continuously improve the patient experience and quality of care delivered to all patients.”

Modern Healthcare magazine reports on the results in its latest issue. "This speaks to the tremendous effort our caregivers and physicians deliver daily to our patients," said David F. Perse, MD, president and CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. "We are proud that our patient satisfaction scores consistently rank above the 80th percentile. That success is built on the efforts of everyone involved in the patient experience."