For the second time this year, Schneck Medical Center has received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for overall hospital quality.

The Seymour hospital has received that highest rating ever since the Hospital Compare survey was created.

A first recently, though, was also receiving five stars for the patient survey summary rating.

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“We had always been a four star with that, so to see that as a five star, it’s exciting to us,” said Susan Zabor, vice president of clinical and provider management and chief quality officer for Schneck.

“To me, that’s just as important as having good outcomes in a hospital because that shows that our community has confidence in the care that we’re providing to themselves or their loved ones,” she said. “The things that we’ve worked on to really improve customer experience, it’s working, and people feel it whenever they come here.”

She shared the good news during a recent Schneck board of trustees meeting at the hospital.

The national star ratings are released twice a year. For the information released in October, Schneck was one of 351 acute care hospitals in the nation and 11 in Indiana receiving five stars. A total of 2,914 acute care hospitals received ratings, including 75 in Indiana.

Created in December 2002, Hospital Compare is a consumer-oriented website that provides information on how well hospitals provide recommended care to their patients. This information can help consumers make informed decisions about where to go for health care, according to cms.gov.

Hospital Compare allows consumers to select multiple hospitals and directly compare performance measure information related to heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgery and other conditions.

These results are organized by general information, survey of patients’ experiences, timely and effective care, complications, readmissions and deaths, use of medical imaging and payment and value of care.

In July 2016, the overall hospital quality star rating was added to the website.

According to the website, an acute care hospital provides inpatient medical care and other related services for surgery, acute medical conditions or injuries (usually for a short-term illness or condition).

Of the 11 in Indiana receiving five stars for overall hospital quality, only Schneck and Franciscan Health Mooresville also received five stars for the patient survey summary.

That rating measures patients’ experiences of their hospital care. Recently discharged patients were asked about important topics, like how well nurses and doctors communicated, how responsive hospital staff were to their needs and the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment.

“For us, it’s a double win,” Zabor said. “Not only do we have the outcomes, but our patients are also saying it’s because you’re doing a really great job. To be one of only two hospitals in the whole state that has reached those five stars for both of those categories, to me, it’s a big deal. It’s a great testament to Schneck and the care that we provide our community, that’s for sure.”

During the recent board presentation, Zabor also provided a regional comparison of other hospitals within a 50-mile radius. Schneck was one of three receiving five stars for overall hospital quality and the only one earning five stars for the patient survey summary rating.

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper and King’s Daughters’ Health in Madison were the others receiving the overall hospital quality rating of five stars.

“I’ve had family and friends in other hospitals and known colleagues to work in other hospitals,” Zabor said. “The culture here at Schneck just feels different whenever it surrounds patient experience, and we’re very proud of that.”

During the September hospital board meeting, Zabor announced Schneck earned five stars for the patient experience rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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.

This is distinct from the overall quality star rating, as it includes 10 reported measures from the HCAHPS surveys, which focus on patient experience and are based solely on HCAHPS scores.

The HCAHPS summary star rating also can be found on the Hospital Compare website.

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Indiana’s five-star acute care hospitals (October 2020 national star rating for overall hospital quality)

Schneck Medical Center (Seymour)

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center (Jasper)

Franciscan Health Mooresville (Mooresville)

Indiana University Health North Hospital (Carmel)

King’s Daughters’ Health (Madison)

St. Catherine Hospital (East Chicago)

St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana (Indianapolis)

Ascension St. Vincent Carmel (Carmel)

Indiana University Health West Hospital (Avon)

The Women’s Hospital (Newburgh)

Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis)

Source: cms.gov

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