LMH Health earns CMS 5-star rating for quality of care

LMH Health has received five stars for hospital quality in rankings released from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). More than 2,800 hospitals nationwide were evaluated on five quality metrics with 291 receiving five stars – the highest rating available.

“There are many quality standards and measures in healthcare, but the CMS star rating has really emerged as the gold standard,” said Russ Johnson, LMH Health President and CEO. “Achieving this level of recognition is a testament to the commitment of teams across the hospital to providing the highest quality care and service to our patients.”

CMS launched star ratings in 2016 to share hospital quality data in an easy to interpret way for patients, their families and caregivers. Hospitals participating in CMS programs submit data from areas including readmission, mortality, safety of care, patient experience, and timely and effective care.

The culmination of that data results in a star rating for each hospital, providing a comprehensive look at a hospital’s quality. Star ratings are distributed on a bell curve with other hospitals in the same cohort, meaning they are measured against the hospitals submitting data in the same categories.

Dr. Kirk Sloan, LMH Health Chief Medical Officer, explained that it takes hard work from staff across the hospital to achieve a five-star rating.

“To be in the top 10% of the country is amazing. You have to be better than everyone else,” he said. “The five-star rating shows we’re taking excellent care of patients, being really safe and proactive as we provide that care.”

Chief Nursing Officer Jan Wiebe said that achieving a five-star rating is a great accomplishment, it all boils down to the people who contribute to the care the hospital provides.

“We’re a community hospital and don’t have all of the resources as the other five-star hospitals in the area, including The University of Kansas Health System and St. Luke’s,” Wiebe said. “It’s one more thing that points to our commitment to providing great quality care you can get right here at home.”