SMH-Sarasota campus remains only hospital in Florida to continuously earn 5 stars since Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality ratings began in 2016
The Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s flagship Sarasota campus has been awarded “the prestigious 5-star quality rating” from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the ninth consecutive year, the health care system announced on July 31.
Of the nearly 5,000 U.S. hospitals evaluated, “roughly 8 percent” earned the 5-star rating, which is the highest available from the CMS, a news release pointed out. Moreover, the Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) Sarasota campus remained the only hospital in the Suncoast region to attain the 5-star rating this year, and it is the only hospital in Florida “to repeatedly earn five stars every year since the CMS rating program began in 2016,” the release noted.
“Star ratings are based on hospital quality indicators across five categories,” the release explained: “safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, mortality outcomes and timely and effective care.”
The release added that, typically, the CMS reviews up to three years’ worth of quality data before issuing a star rating. SMH-Venice, which opened in late 2021, received a 4-star rating this year, “the first time the new hospital was eligible for review,” the release also pointed out.
David Verinder, CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, “highlighted the repeated 5-star performance at the Sarasota Campus” and the 4-star rating at the Venice Campus “as testament to the health system’s commitment to providing world-class care to the community.”
“I am incredibly proud of the leaders, clinicians and staff at SMH who continue to set the standard for quality healthcare at a state and national level,” Verinder said in the release. “We continue to build on our culture of excellence by investing in advanced technologies and leading-edge facilities, but it’s the efforts of this team that make it all possible and ensure the best care for our patients.”
For more information about the 2024 CMS Star Ratings, visit medicare.gov/care-compare.
I totally agree with the five-star rating for Sarasota Memorial Hospital. I have been given excellent care by all the staff. They are very professional and truly care about helping their patients. I