Five stars have been awarded to Schneck Medical Center.

The Seymour hospital received the highest possible rating for quality of care, customer experience and value of care from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for overall hospital quality.

Schneck was the only hospital in the area to receive five stars and one of only 11 in Indiana, according to a news release from the hospital.

In addition, Schneck has earned five stars for patient experience rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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That rating, which is based on experience surveys through the Hospital Consumer Assessment Survey of Healthcare Providers and Systems, compares nearly 3,500 hospitals nationwide.

Schneck was one of only 266, or 8%, that received five stars.

"These five-star ratings take an organizational-wide effort with every Schneck team member being fully invested in the experience of our patients,” said Dr. Eric Fish, president and chief executive officer of Schneck.

"Our team members fully support the culture of excellence, quality and patient safety that we have cultivated and maintained," he said. "We take ownership in ensuring that our patients receive the best care possible. We train our team members on best practices, support their continuing education and measure results to ensure we continue to excel in the ever-changing landscape of health care."

Susan Zabor, vice president of clinical and provider management and chief quality officer, shared the news about the ratings during the Schneck board of trustees meeting Sept. 21 in the Mary Schneck Conference Room at the hospital.

She said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services updated the HCAHPS summary star rating on the Hospital Compare website.

"This is distinct from the CMS overall quality star rating, which was last updated in January," Zabor said. "The HCAHPS summary star rating includes 10 reported measures from our HCAHPS surveys, which focus on patient experience and are based solely on HCAHPS scores."

Zabor said she was very happy to report the great news.

"Very impressive we’re part of the 8% that received five stars," board President Rick Smith said. "Congratulations for being in that top 8%."

CEO named district president

Also during the meeting, Smith announced Fish has been named Southeastern District president for the Indiana Hospital Association for 2021-2022.

The IHA board of directors includes representatives from hospitals of all sizes across Indiana. These hospital leaders provide their insight as IHA sets strategic priorities, plans its annual activities and reviews membership requests.

"I’m honored to serve and to have the opportunity to represent the perspective of our local community at the state level," Fish said. "This is a critically important time of transformation in health care. Current initiatives and decisions being made at the federal and state levels will be important for our patients and all citizens of this region and state. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute in this new role."

Fish brings more than 15 years of leadership experience at Schneck, including medical director of Schneck Obstetrics and Gynecology, president of the Schneck medical staff, chairman of the board of managers for Inspire Health Partners, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer and most recently executive vice president and chief operating officer.

"On behalf of Schneck Medical Center, the board of trustees and the patients we serve, I congratulate Dr. Fish on his appointment," Smith said. "He is a talented, innovative leader who is committed to transformative health care. It’s important for Schneck, it’s important for our community to be represented at the state level, so congratulations to Dr. Fish on that and for being on the IHA board of directors and getting that support, as well."

Honoring late board member

The meeting closed with a moment of silence for John McCoy, who died Sept. 19 at 92.

He became a member of the Schneck board in 1981 and served until 2019, including 18 years as president. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving trustee in the 108-year history of Schneck.

"Mr. McCoy saw a lot of changes," Smith said. "He also implemented a lot of changes during that time, so he will be missed."