Hospital continues to lead region in such honors
Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Sarasota campus was the only hospital in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties to earn a 5-star rating for overall quality from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) in late July, the hospital has announced.
That rating also makes Sarasota Memorial “the only hospital in Florida, and one of only 33 in the nation, to consistently earn the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ highest quality award since the rating system launched in 2016,” a news release points out.
Of the more than 4,500 hospitals that were evaluated, less than 14% received 5 stars in the CMS ratings updated on July 27, the release adds. In Florida, only 15 hospitals achieved the 5-star designation this year, it notes.
“CMS assigns the star ratings by evaluating hospitals’ results in dozens of quality measures that are divided into five categories, the release explains: mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience and timely and effective care.
The honor was the latest in a series of prestigious national awards that Sarasota Memorial received in July, the release points out. In addition to earning several spots on U.S. News’ “Best Hospitals” list, SMH-Sarasota was recognized as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals and top 40 teaching hospitals in a study released several weeks ago by Fortune/Merative, the release notes.
“David Verinder, president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, credits the staff’s never-ending focus on delivering quality care, applauding the efforts of the entire health system,” the release adds.
“Our repeated recognition across multiple hospital rating organizations is a testament to the work of our staff and physicians,” said Verinder in the release. “We are unquestionably a national leader in quality, safety and service, and it’s all due to the incredible team here, guided and supported by the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board.”
To access the 2022 CMS Star Ratings, visit medicare.gov/care-compare.