News Release Great Plains Health
Great Plains Health announced today that it earned a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS created the five-star quality rating program as an easily accessible way for consumers to better understand the performance of their local hospital.
“Quality, patient safety and improved outcomes are top priorities for us at Great Plains Health,” said Barb Petersen, chief quality officer. “We are extremely proud to be awarded four stars by CMS. “This star rating is a reflection of the commitment and hard work of our medical staff and the entire team that fosters an environment focused on quality and safety.”
The overall rating, between one and five stars, summarizes a variety of measures across five areas of quality into a single star rating for each hospital. The five measure groups include:
· Mortality
· Safety of care
· Readmission
· Patient experience
· Timeliness and effective care
The overall rating shows how well each hospital performed on an identified set of quality measures compared to other hospitals in the U.S. Five stars is the highest a hospital can achieve and, based on April 2021 results, includes only 13.56 percent of hospitals. The national average for hospitals is three out of five stars.
Of 4,586 hospitals in the nation, Great Plains Health is among the 988 that received a four-star rating, eighteen of which are in Nebraska.
Great Plains Health scored above the national average for Safety of Care. This group of measures includes prevention of central line blood stream infections, catheter infections, prevention of surgical site infections and other hospital related safety measures.
“North Platte has an incredible medical team here at Great Plains Health, engaged and focused on delivering safe, quality care,” said Mel McNea, chief executive officer. “Their achievement of a CMS four-star rating is evidence of their passion and drive to be among the best hospitals in the nation.”