WC Wisconsin News

Tomah Health has successfully maintained its five-star rating for patient care, as reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The hospital's Quality Director, Kayla Mobley, highlighted the collective effort of the staff in achieving this recognition. "Since achieving the top five-star rating last February, Tomah Health has maintained the rating thanks to work by staff across the organization. It really takes every single staff member, physician, and provider to retain this rating," said Mobley.

The CMS five-star rating is based on feedback from recently discharged patients. They are asked about various aspects of their experience, including communication with nurses and doctors, responsiveness of hospital staff to their needs, and the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment. Mobley emphasized that patient experience is a key component of quality care. “Patient experience is an important part of quality care, and our hospital staff continued to excel when providing care to our patients,” she stated.

CMS requires hospitals to conduct patient surveys through a third-party company. Mobley urged patients who receive these surveys to complete them. “The input we receive from patients is critical to our organization and a valued measure for us to maintain our services,” she explained.

These surveys assess quality of care at over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals nationwide, including more than 130 Veterans Affairs medical centers and over 50 military hospitals.