CLEWISTON — Patients and families know quality care when they experience it. A nurse’s response time, a doctor’s bedside manner, the hospital’s atmosphere - all these things affect how people feel about the quality of their healthcare.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the nation’s hospitals work collaboratively to publicly report hospital quality performance information on the CMS Care Compare website. Changes made by CMS are affecting small healthcare systems’ star ratings like Hendry Regional Medical Center (HRMC).

When hospitals talk about quality, it is generally in reference to very specific clinical data collected and analyzed over a period. Quality data show how well a department or institution achieves desired health outcomes for a particular procedure, often by tracking how closely clinical staff meet standards of care.

“We place a strong emphasis on quality data measurements and reporting. It is how we hold ourselves accountable to the community and public in providing not just quality healthcare but excellent healthcare,” stated Dakota Redd, Chief Nursing Officer, HRM.

While Hendry Regional does participate in outpatient and inpatient quality data reporting with CMS, with the new changes there are now too few measures/measure groups reported or cases/patients are too few to calculate a star rating.

What does this mean? HRMC previously held a 3-star rating, higher than many other local hospitals, however a star rating is no longer available (N/A) on the CMS Care Compare website.

“It is important to note that while CMS no longer recognizes HRMC with a star rating, we would have maintained a 3-star rating if those changes had not gone into effect based on the data we continue to submit,” stated Redd. “We are proud of the excellent healthcare we provide and that is witnessed by all our patients who receive care at HRMC regardless of a star rating.”

In reviewing HRMC’s quality data, they score well above the national and state average in most areas. Striving to ensure that the care provide is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. In a continued effort of transparency HRMC will be making even more data available in the coming months. To view HRMC quality data or to learn more visit www.hrmc.us