No other Florida hospital has achieved that distinction, SMH leaders note
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has kicked off 2026 “achieving what no other Florida hospital could: a perfect 5-Star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] — every year — for 10 years straight,” the health care system announced on Jan. 14.
“For patients and families on the Suncoast, the decade-long quality streak serves as a powerful promise, said David Verinder, CEO of the community-owned Sarasota Memorial Health Care System,” in the release.
“This is far more than a plaque on the wall,” Verinder pointed out in the release. “It is a promise and personal commitment from 2,500 physicians and 11,000 staff members — the people behind our stars — to prioritize our patients’ health and safety above all else,” Verinder added.
“The 5-Star rating places Sarasota Memorial Health Care System in the top tier of medical institutions nationally. Of more than 4,000 U.S. hospitals evaluated, the flagship Sarasota hospital is one of only 17 nationwide — and the only one in Florida — to earn 5-Star ratings from CMS every year” since the federal organization launched the star rating program in 2016, the release notes.
“In addition to the federal government’s top rating, SMH is repeatedly ranked among the nation’s best and safest hospitals by multiple independent hospital rating organizations, including U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and Forbes,” the release continues. The hospital also has earned straight A’s for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group for a decade, the release points out, and it “is among 2% of hospitals that have maintained Magnet Nursing Recognition, the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, for more than 20 years.”
The release further notes, “The CMS star ratings are particularly meaningful because they summarize a hospital’s overall performance, with broad, standardized metrics across five critical areas”: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely/effective care.
“To celebrate the quality milestone, Sarasota Memorial launched a multi-media ‘Written in the Stars’ campaign this month,” the release adds. That puts the proverbial “spotlight on its CMS 5-Star rating and the clinicians and staff behind the stars,” it adds.
“While the five stars are a symbol of hospital quality, the real story is the people behind the stars,” Verinder said in the release. “This campaign is a tribute to the dedication and diligence of our clinicians and staff and all that they do on a daily basis to provide the best care and outcomes for our patients.”
Sarasota Memorial leaders are inviting members of the community to help honor the health care team with a “Stargram,” the release continues. An individual “can share a note of thanks and send a digital Stargram recognizing staff members who went above and beyond on the hospital’s website (www.smh.com/stargram),” the release explains. “Stargrams will be delivered directly to recognized employees and their leadership teams, ensuring the people ‘behind the stars’ receive the personal recognition they deserve,” the release points out.