All Asante hospitals awarded CMS five-star quality rating

The highest rating was granted to only five Oregon hospitals

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced its 2017 Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, and all three Asante hospitals have earned five stars — the highest rating awarded.

Asante Ashland Community Hospital, Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center and Asante Three Rivers Medical Center accounted for three of the five Oregon hospitals to achieve a five-star rating. Nationally, only 7.36 percent of eligible Medicare-certified hospitals have earned this distinction.

The new ratings were posted Dec. 21 on CMS’s Hospital Compare website.

For its overall hospital ratings, CMS examines up to 57 key quality measures under seven categories: mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging.

Asante hospitals met the standards in all of those areas and outperformed standards for preventing readmissions, delivering safe patient care and providing a great patient experience.

“This recognition means our patients can know that they are receiving the highest quality care from every Asante hospital,” said Asante President and CEO Roy Vinyard.

CMS introduced its overall hospital quality star ratings in July 2016. Publication of this 2017 ratings was delayed until December while CMS revised its methodology based in part on input from the American Hospital Association and other health care organizations.

Of the 62 Oregon hospitals evaluated, 22 earned a four-star rating; 20 received three stars and five two stars.

“This honor is the result of years of intense focus on quality and patient safety at each of our hospitals,” Vinyard said. “It is also a testament to the dedication of our clinical leaders, physicians, nurses, clinical staff members, those who work behind the scenes and every employee who comes into contact with a patient.”