Five stars for Kootenai Health

Kootenai Health announced Thursday it received a five-star overall hospital quality star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

CMS recently released its updated ratings, making Kootenai Health the only hospital in the Inland Northwest to earn five stars.

“This award provides recognition of Kootenai Health’s medical staff and employees’ dedication to quality and compassionate care,” said Kootenai Health CEO Jon Ness. "It is an achievement the entire region can celebrate.”

Dr. Karen Cabell, chief physician executive of Kootenai Health, said a five-star overall rating is something every hospital in the country works toward, but few receive.

"To earn this rating further proves Kootenai Health is the premier health care destination we know it to be," Cabell said.

Only 13% of all hospitals in the nation received a five-star overall rating. The designation has been earned by both Kootenai Health and St. Mary’s Health in Cottonwood, which is part of the Kootenai Health system.

The overall rating, between one and five stars, summarizes a variety of measures across five areas of quality. Those five areas include mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care.

“This achievement validates that our on-going quality improvement work is showing results,” said Helen Holmes, executive director of quality and risk for Kootenai Health. “I’m so happy for our staff to see this. They work tirelessly every day to provide the best possible care for our community.”

CMS developed the program to help consumers make informed health care decisions by giving them a way to compare hospitals based on quality ratings that are released quarterly.

“We work relentlessly to continually improve our care and our patients’ experiences and will continue to do so,” Holmes said. "That’s our culture. It’s who we are."