Three area hospitals ranked above the national average in a rating system meant to help patients choose between their area’s health care options.
Johnson Memorial Hospital, Community Hospital South and Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis each received four out of five stars in the new ranking system that is based on data the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services collects from hospitals across the United States.
Information, such as patient surveys, timeliness of care, re-admissions and value of care is factored into the rat- ings with three stars being the average score.
The ratings reflect the quality of care provided by Johnson Memorial Hospital, said Tamara Moore, director of performance excellence.
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“We are very proud and excited,” she said. “We know that the hospital is committed to providing quality care as well as high quality service at a good value.”
Others disputed the value of the rating system, saying it oversimplifies complex issues.
“We think this particular rating system is flawed and creates more confusion than clarity,” said Kris Kirschner, a spokesperson for Community Health Network, which operates Community Hospital South.
Too much information goes into the ratings — more than 60 different factors — for it to be useful when narrowed down to a five-star scale, Kirschner said.
“With or without the rating system we believe we provide exceptional care,” she said.
Hospital officials recommend patients talk with someone they trust about the health care data, such as their doctor, instead of solely relying on the rankings.
“Each individual patient’s diagnosis and circumstances are different,” said Joe Stuteville, a spokesperson for Franciscan St. Francis Health. “We strongly encourage patients to speak with their health care provider.”
Having accurate and useful information is vital for patients to make informed decisions, but the star ratings can be more confusing than helpful, he said.
In surveys, which were used for a portion of the ratings, patients were asked about subjects such as how well their doctors and nurses communicated with them, if their room and bathroom were always clean, and if they would recommend the hospital.
Both Johnson Memorial Hospital and Community Hospital South received a four-star rating from the patient surveys, while Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis was given a three-star rating.
Of the three, Community Hospital South received the most positive feedback from patients, with 80 percent saying they would definitely recommend the hospital. Johnson Memorial received the lowest percent for recommendations, with 69 percent of patients saying they definitely recommend the hospital.
But that is a figure that has risen since the most recent reported date of Sept. 30, 2015, Moore said.
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A new rating system takes information from patient surveys and data collected on area hospitals and uses it to create a rating between one and five stars. Here are some examples of the information used to create those ratings:
Percent of patients who said their doctors always communicated well.
Johnson Memorial Hospital: 81 percent
Community Hospital South: 82 percent
Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis: 80 percent
Indiana average: 82 percent
National average: 82 percent
Percent of patients who said their room and bathroom were always clean.
Johnson Memorial Hospital: 82 percent
Community Hospital South: 74 percent
Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis: 71 percent
Indiana average: 76 percent
National average: 74 percent
Percent of patients who said they would definitely recommend the hospital.
Johnson Memorial Hospital: 69 percent
Community Hospital South: 80 percent
Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis: 79 percent
Indiana average: 73 percent
National average: 71 percent
Based on data collected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, this was the average time for patients in the emergency department to receive pain medication for broken bones.
Johnson Memorial Hospital: 37 minutes
Community Hospital South: 54 minutes
Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis: 41 minutes
Indiana average: 48 minutes
National average: 53 minutes
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