Three Connecticut hospitals ranked among the best in the nation, according to new qualifications published by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Sharon Hospital, Stamford Hospital and Greenwich Hospital Association have received five-star ratings, CMS’ highest rating. According to CMS, 431 of approximately 4,500 hospitals throughout the country received five stars.
“This designation is a great honor that recognizes our culture of excellence and the dedication of the doctors, nurses and staff who provide exceptional care every day,” said Diane Kelly, president of Greenwich Hospital, in a press release “They are the reason thousands of Connecticut and New York residents come to Greenwich Hospital for care.”
CMS ranks hospitals based on 47 quality measures across the five mortality categories; security of care; readmission; patient experience; and timely and effective care. Four of the categories account for 22 percent of the scores each, while the timely and effective care category is weighted at 12 percent.
The Sharon hospital is now part of Danbury-based Nuvance Health, which was formed through consolidation, when Western Connecticut Health Network merged with Health Quest.
Sharon Hospital / Contributed photo
Eight other Connecticut hospitals received four star ratings. And while no Connecticut hospitals received a one-star rating, Rockville General Hospital, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington and Bridgeport Hospital were among the 702 hospitals that received only two stars. Ten of Connecticut’s hospitals were not ranked.
Bridgeport Hospital
Bridgeport Hospital /
CMS recently updated its methodology for the rankings, including peer groupings for hospitals that provide similar levels of care. However, the American Hospital Association he said there is still work to be done.
“The AHA appreciates many of the recent changes CMS has made to its Overall Star Ratings program, which have made the ratings easier for patients and hospitals to interpret, more transparent, and more balanced in favor of issues of high priority,” Akin Demehin. , said the AHA’s senior director of quality policy and patient safety. “We believe it still needs to be improved to ensure that it encourages fair comparisons. We have also encouraged CMS to examine the influence of social drivers of health on star ratings and to consider approaches to ensure that ratings are not unintentionally biased by against hospitals that serve structurally marginalized communities”.