Medicare gives PI hospital four stars
PRESQUE ISLE — Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released results of their new Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating, reflecting comprehensive quality information about the care provided at hospitals nationwide, with three Aroostook County hospitals earning high marks.
The Aroostook Medical Center of Presque Isle earned four stars, the highest rating of any Maine hospital. Joining TAMC are Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and Houlton Regional Hospital, along with 13 others throughout the state, making a total of 16 out of 33 Maine hospitals earning four stars.
Nationwide, only about 2 percent of hospitals earned the distinction of a five-star rating (102 out of 4,599 hospitals), and none of those were in Maine.
“This rating emphasizes TAMC’s commitment to patient experience, patient safety and high quality care,” said Glenda Dwyer, interim president of TAMC. “It reaffirms the quality and safety rankings that we have earned from other national organizations, such as Avatar and Leapfrog.”
The Star Rating takes 64 existing quality measures already reported on CMS’ consumer-oriented website, Hospital Compare, that helps people make informed decisions about healthcare. The new rating system summarizes these measures into a unified rating of one to five stars. TAMC officials said the rating is based on a combination of many quality measures, including those involving process of care, outcomes of care, patient experience, patient safety and value.
“It speaks volumes about the quality of healthcare in Maine that we are more than double the national average for four and five stars combined,” said Dr. Jay Reynolds, chief medical officer at TAMC. “While nationwide, 23 percent earned a four- or a five-star rating, in Maine 48 percent of hospitals have that distinction. In our EMHS system, that number is even higher at 57 percent.”
“As someone who grew up in this area, it’s important to me that family, friends and neighbors understand the exceptionally high quality and empathetic care available to them here in Aroostook County,” said Cherri Fitzpatrick, chief quality officer at TAMC. “This rating system will more easily help them see that.”
Fitzpatrick credits the entire TAMC team for the four-star rating. “This achievement could not have been realized without outstanding teamwork and engagement across TAMC medical staff, nursing, ancillary and support staff, and leadership, including our board of trustees,” she said.
To learn more about the CMS Star Ratings, go to www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare.
