Madison VA Repeats 5 Star Rating for Overall Hospital Quality

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted the most recent results of its star ratings and the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital received another 5-star rating for Overall Hospital Quality. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses a five-star rating system to measure the experiences Medicare beneficiaries have with their health plan and health care system — the Star Rating Program. Health plans are rated on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the highest.

The system evaluates both public and private facilities and results were based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores collected by the federal administrator of the nation’s major healthcare programs.

Over 4,500 hospitals are included in the ranking; only 455 achieve a 5-star rating for Overall Hospital Quality.  Eleven VA medical centers achieved a 5-star rating this year; and the Madison VA received the highest summary ranking of all VA hospitals. 

“Nationwide, only a small percentage of the hospitals evaluated receive 5-star designation from CMS,” said John Rohrer, medical center director. “Achieving that level of quality in patient satisfaction requires focus and attention in all aspects of patient care, and I am honored to work with employees and volunteers that provide that level of quality to our Veterans.”

HCAHPS is the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care. The HCAHPS Survey (pronounced “H-caps”) is a 29-item instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience.  HCAHPS allows valid comparisons to be made across hospitals -- locally, regionally and nationally.  The survey was nationally implemented in 2006 and public reporting of hospital scores began in 2008. 

Hospital scores and comparison can be accessed through Medicare.gov at https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providerType=Hospital&redirect=true.

For more information about the Madison VA Hospital, visit www.madison.va.gov or www.facebook.com/MadisonVAHospital.

Paul Rickert, Chief, Public Affairs

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