Hospitals get ratings for quality and safety so that you can choose which hospital will provide you with the best care possible when you need medical help. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) produces a list of Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, and recently released a new list with their 1-star quality ratings.
These are the first ratings of these hospitals since January of 2020. In Pennsylvania, two hospitals had 1-star ratings for 2021. These were Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville and Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville.
According to CMS, there are five criteria that they base their rating on to determine the quality level that the hospitals have. Those five categories are mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care.
Once each hospital is evaluated based on these categories, the score is weighted to determine how they perform compared to other hospitals. This weighted average is what determines the number of stars each receives. The rating and weighting of their scores can be complex, but it’s worth it so that people can know what kind of care they’ll receive at a hospital.
Of the over 4,500 hospitals that were rated, 204 received a 1-star quality rating. This is only 6 percent of the total hospitals, which gives hope that more hospitals are providing good care. However, over 26 percent of hospitals did not receive a score, which means that they did not follow the measures in the criteria, and left them without being able to be rated.
These two Pennsylvania hospitals scored low in these five categories, showing that they do not perform well in keeping their patients from dying, getting infections, or keeping them out of the hospital. Patients should look for hospitals that have a higher rating so that they can get the care that they deserve.
When you’ve experienced sub-par care at a hospital that left you with more injuries than when you came in, you could use the help of a lawyer. At Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco, we’re prepared to help you. Reach out to our office today to find out what we can do for you and getting you justice.
