Kalispell Regional Medical Center recently became one of three hospitals in the state to receive a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for overall hospital quality — a designation awarded to only 293 hospitals in the nation.

St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula and St. Vincent Healthcare of Billings also received five stars. The organization reports on quality measures for more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide, about 8 percent of which will receive the full five stars for high-quality care.

North Valley Hospital also received five stars, but for patients’ experiences — something determined by analyzing what patients had to say about their experiences with the hospital. According to a recent report from the hospital, 95 percent of patients said they would “definitely recommend” North Valley.

The Centers’ rating system for quality is determined by measures including mortality, readmission, patient experience, efficiency and effectiveness of care.

“The CMS Star Rating is one of several quality ratings tools that rank hospitals on patient experience, processes, outcomes, patient safety and cost,” Kalispell Regional Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. Doug Nelson said in a press release. “We’re very proud of our high rankings; however, the quality measures are also tools that help us understand how we can continue to improve.”

Kalispell Regional Healthcare announced it has multiple initiatives underway that seek to further improve the quality of care provided to patients, citing a Comprehensive Primary Care Plus program. According to the press release, the plan “focuses on improved patient access, quality of care and reductions in cost of care.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4439 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com