MONROE — Monroe Clinic is one of only 293 hospitals nationwide to achieve a five-star ranking from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in a review process that included over 4,500 hospitals. 

“Our position among the top 6% of hospitals across the nation is not just a matter of having very talented people,” according to Monroe Clinic President Mike Sanders. “It is a matter of those talented people being dedicated to pursuing excellence and improvement in all areas of their work. It’s their diligence in the daily tasks, as well as the strategic initiatives.” 

Sanders explained the updated data is available on the Hospital Compare database at Medicare.gov, which allows individuals to enter their zip code to search and compare ratings from area hospitals. The database breaks down the ratings of each hospital by quality factors, including patient experience, safety, effectiveness of care, patient readmissions, efficient use of medical imaging, timeliness of care and mortality. 

Medicare’s system is modeled after the star rating system used by hotels, restaurants and other service industries where consumers choose higher star rating facilities to help ensure the best experience possible. 

Even as consumers are sometimes overwhelmed by the rankings and awards, these achievement recognitions serve an important purpose in our healthcare industry. 

The 5-star rating system helps empower patients to understand healthcare performance through a truly objective lens.