Seven Northwell Health hospitals have received four-star or better ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – led by three five-star hospitals on Long Island – as part of its 2023 Five-Star Quality Rating System, which were announced today.
North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Huntington Hospital and Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson each scored five stars from CMS, the highest rating possible using data that evaluates outcomes, patient experience and process. Just 15 percent of the 4,654 star-rated hospitals nationwide earned five-star status, which used Care Compare data between 2018-2022.
Northwell also earned four-star ratings at Glen Cove Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco and Staten Island University Hospital. Northwell, New York State’s largest health system and private employer, saw 11 of the 12 hospitals evaluated either maintain or improve their CMS standing since 2022. CMS, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, created the five-star rating to help consumers identify health care facilities by quality metrics, which include patient outcomes such as mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience and timely and effective care.
“Northwell Health analyzes the results of each hospital’s CMS report each year, internalizes them, course corrects where needed and strives to reach higher,” said Michael Dowling, Northwell’s president and CEO. “I’m proud to say this was our best showing yet as a health system. Three CMS five-star hospitals on Long Island alone proves our commitment to quality care and excellent outcomes, from the environmental service workers and cooks to our nurses and clinicians.”
North Shore University Hospital, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2023, is a Level I trauma center and teaching hospital that treats more than 90,000 patients each year. It is home to the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital, the Katz Women’s Hospital, neurosurgery, multi-organ transplant services and one of the busiest emergency departments in the New York Metropolitan area. It is a Magnet-recognized hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which spotlights excellence in nursing. CMS gave North Shore high ratings for mortality and safety of care.
Huntington Hospital, generally considered one of New York State’s best community hospitals, is top-rated by CMS for the third straight year. It is a Level III trauma center, Magnet designated and known for nationally-recognized orthopedic excellence. The hospital got high marks for safety of care and patient experience.
Mather, a Magnet hospital, is nationally recognized for patient safety and highly rated for patient experience. It was recently recognized by Healthgrades as one of the nation’s Top 250 hospitals. It earned a top CMS rating in 2023, in part, because it scored well in 30-day readmissions, one of the most scrutinized government measures.
Overall, four Northwell hospitals improved their CMS rating: Mather and North Shore moved up while Staten Island University Hospital jumped from three to four stars and Plainview improved to three stars.
“Quality remains job No. 1 for all Northwell Health team members, so it’s gratifying to see seven hospitals perform so strongly across the board,” said Peter Silver, MD, senior vice president and chief quality officer at Northwell Health. “We take patient care outcomes and safety, efficient processes and patient experience seriously. The latest CMS star ratings bear that out, but it’s a never-ending journey toward excellence.”
The health system’s initiatives to improve quality at its hospitals include a focus on infection prevention, efforts to improve recognition and treatment of sepsis, growing the flu vaccination rate among employees as well as transforming dining services and environmental enhancements.
