When Boone Memorial Hospital announced in December that it had received a Five-Star rating, the highest achievement level possible, from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), hospital staff had no idea they were the only facility in the State of West Virginia to achieve this high honor.
“We were ecstatic to realize that we not only received Five-Stars, but are the only hospital in the entire State to do so. Even within a 200 mile radius we were one of only four total facilities, with the other three being in KY, OH and VA,” said Terri Castle, Chief Nursing Officer at Boone Memorial Hospital.
“We are thrilled.”
Hospitals report data to CMS, which is the federal agency that runs the Medicare program, through the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program.
The overall hospital rating includes 57 of the more than 100 measures reported on Hospital Compare, divided into seven measure groups or categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care, and efficient use of medical imaging. The overall hospital rating shows how well each hospital performed, on average, compared to other hospitals in the U.S. The rating ranges from one to five stars. The more stars, the better a hospital performed on the available quality measures. The most common overall hospital rating is three stars.
“The Five-Star rating is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees who give 100% effort daily,” said Virgil Underwood, Boone Memorial Hospital CEO.
Boone Memorial Hospital opened its new facility in 2016. Since then, the facility has expanded surgical services, added various providers, including specialty physicians and hometown Cardiologist Casey Hager, opened a Black Lung Center, a community Pharmacy, launched a healthy lifestyle program and has enhanced and expanded various already existing services.
“We continue to strive for excellence,” said Underwood. We have become an award winning facility, and I attribute this success to our Boone Memorial Hospital family; employees, administration and board of directors who truly put patient care first and foremost,” concluded Underwood.
