Barton Memorial Hospital receives Four Stars for patient satisfaction

Barton Memorial Hospital was recently awarded a four star rating from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Each Medicare certified acute care hospital across the nation receives a patient perception rating between one and five stars based on patient satisfaction surveys. Of the 298 California hospitals assessed, Barton Hospital ranked in the top 14 percent.

“Barton’s high rating echoes the commitment of our physicians, nurses, and staff to provide patients and families consistently exceptional care,” said Dr. Clint Purvance, Barton’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are listening to the feedback from our patients, making changes, and seeing positive results.”

Barton Hospital is one of only three hospitals in the Tahoe-Reno area and throughout the Sierra Nevada to receive such a high rating. Barton’s four star rating comes from the fact that 73.6 percent of patients surveyed rated Barton a 9 or 10 in their overall hospital experience. Additionally, Barton scored high marks in multiple categories that assessed patient satisfaction, including communication with nurses and physicians, staff responsiveness, and room and bathroom cleanliness.

“Our care team has made incredible strides to provide the best possible experience for our patients,” said Katie Shea, Barton’s Patient Experience Coordinator. “These scores are a reflection of the compassion and quality we work so hard to provide.”

The star rating was developed to make it easier for patients and their families to compare hospitals. Three million randomly selected patients completed Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys for 3,500 different hospitals nationwide. The current rating is based on the HCAHPS surveys distributed from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015 and was announced by CMS last month.

A full breakdown of the CMS star ratings of acute care hospitals can be found at medicare.gov/hospitalcompare.