Congratulations to UP Health System-Bell on its latest achievement.

For those who missed it, Bell on Wednesday announced that it has been awarded five stars in patient experience ratings by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The press release from Bell explains these ratings are derived from Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys collected through 2019. The star ratings are designed to help patients choose a hospital based on patient experience.

The five-star rating only went to 266 of the more than 3,400 hospitals rated and it is the highest possible score.

“Our team is honored to receive this recognition from CMS,” said Mitch Leckelt, chief executive officer of UPHS-Bell in the press release. “We are committed to ensuring that our patients and their families have great experiences at our hospital — from check-in to discharge and beyond — and we are delighted that our patient surveys reflect this commitment. We will continue to strive to enhance health care delivery, improve patient experiences, and advance our mission of making communities healthier.”

Here’s how it works: HCAHPS surveys are administered to a random sample of adult patients between two days and six weeks following their discharge from the hospital. The surveys cover a range of patient experience topics, including nurse and doctor communication, responsiveness of hospital staff, communication about medicines, care transitions and the hospital environment.

The release said UPHS-Bell has launched several initiatives in recent years aimed at enhancing patient and family experiences. These include the “Foundational Five” safety behaviors, which include conducting daily briefs, debriefs and huddles; using learning boards; and practicing executive patient safety rounding.

Executive patient safety rounding helps ensure that leaders at every level of the organization engage with staff, physicians, patients and families about quality and patient safety. UPHS-Bell also has implemented bedside shift reporting to help ensure clear communication, reduce the risk of errors and maintain consistency of care during shift changes, the release states.

To find out more about the star ratings program, visit the CMS website at Medicare.gov. For more information about UP Health System-Bell, visit BellHospital.org.

Again, congratulations to UP Health System-Bell on receiving such a great honor that comes from the people it has served.