Glacial Ridge Hospital in Glenwood has achieved a 5-Star Rating for Patient Experience for the fifth year. The report released July 31, 2020 listed 266 hospitals with a 5-star rating, putting them in the top 6% of more than 4,000 hospitals in the U.S. that participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare Initiative.

Glacial Ridge Health System’s CEO Kirk Stensrud commends the team for this achievement. “We are very proud of our medical staff, nursing staff and all other staff. They continue to work together as a team to provide personalized, compassionate care to all of our patients.” Stensrud adds, “Every person on our team makes a difference and impacts patients’ experiences in some way.”

The star ratings make it easier for consumers to use the information on the compare websites and spotlight excellence in healthcare quality. Star rankings for patient experience were first released in 2014. Data is gathered from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers Survey (HCAHPS, pronounced “H-caps”) that is sent to patients following discharge from the hospital. HCAHPS is a 29-item survey required by Medicare to measure patients’ perceptions of their hospital experience. The Hospital Compare rankings are comprised of 11 measures that include communication with nurses and doctors, pain management, discharge information, cleanliness of the hospital, overall hospital rating and likelihood to recommend.