EAST CHICAGO – St. Catherine Hospital has once again achieved a five-star rating, the highest ranking possible, for overall quality of care from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). An overall star rating is based on how well a hospital performs across different areas of quality such as treating heart attacks and pneumonia, readmission rates and safety of care.
St. Catherine Hospital’s rating is notable because it is one of only 13 hospitals in the state and the only hospital located in Northwest Indiana to be awarded five stars. Additionally, St. Catherine Hospital has achieved the five-star ranking in every rating period but one since 2016.
“Our patients are at the center of everything we do and these ratings show that our team is providing the right care for our patients, the right way and for the right reason: to save lives,” said Leo Correa, St. Catherine Hospital CEO. “It is gratifying to see that the hard work and commitment of our physicians and healthcare professionals has been recognized as being among our nation’s best.”
CMS rated more than 4,000 hospitals across the nation on a scale of one- to five-stars. Medicare based the star ratings on measures that include patient reviews and outcomes and infection rates. Any ranking above three stars is considered to be an above-average score. The government agency created the rating system to help consumers evaluate and compare quality care among hospitals in their communities.
Community Healthcare System was the only healthcare system in Northwest Indiana to have all of its hospitals achieve an above-average rating from CMS, according to the Hospital Compare website. St. Catherine Hospital’s sister hospitals Community Hospital in Munster and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart received CMS star ratings of three and four respectively.
The Hospital Compare website was set up to provide consumers with an easy way to get access to a unified rating system to gauge hospital performance on routine care, safety of care, effectiveness and timeliness of care, efficient use of imaging and quality measures that focus on hospital-acquired infections such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections or complications. The ratings also include an assessment of Medicare spending, the mortality rate, frequency of readmissions and overall patient experience.
CMS suggests on its website that the ratings serve as a starting point to help guide consumers in their decisions about which hospitals they or their families will choose for their care. Of the hospitals assigned a rating, 2.2 percent received five stars and 20.3 percent received four stars. Three stars was the most common score.
“We are especially proud of this 5-star rating because it shows that we take quality care to heart,” Correa said.
For more about the programs and services at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System or to find a physician on staff, call toll-free 866-836-3477 or visit COMHS.org.
To learn more about star ratings and Hospital Compare, visit medicare.gov/care-compare/.
