See how Az. hospitals rated in updated federal quality scores
Stephanie Innes
Arizona Republic USA TODAY NETWORK
Five Arizona hospitals received the highest five-star quality rating in the federal government's recent annual update.
Top-rated five-star hospitals in Arizona represented 10% of the 51 Medicare- certified Arizona hospitals that received ratings. Six hospitals − about 12% of the Arizona hospitals included in the ratings − got the worst one-star scores in the updated analysis, released July 31.
Nationally, 13% or 381 of the 2,847 U.S. hospitals scored in the latest federal analysis had the highest five-star rating, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data shows, while 10% or 277 hospitals received the lowest one-star rating.
Most hospitals aren't government entities with publicly-available data. Rather, they are private entities that want to keep up a good image, which means finding out about important patient safety issues like surgery errors and long emergency department wait times can be problematic without mandatory data reporting.
Patient safety advocates for years have pushed for hospitals to be more transparent about patient safety data to prevent medical errors, protect patients, and hold medical facilities accountable when they don't meet quality and safety standards.
The star system, which began in 2016, is based on 46 measures in five categories: mortality, patient experience, readmission, safety of care, and timely and effective care. Hospitals must report at least three measures in at least three categories to receive a star rating, which is why not all hospitals are included. The ratings do not include psychiatric, children's and most specialty hospitals, though a cancer specialty hospital in Goodyear received a star rating in the latest results.
The categories that are used in the methodology include data on a range of quality measures, including:
Emergency department wait times. Arizona hospitals had median times of 196 minutes for the whole emergency department visit, which is higher than the national average of 170 minutes. Flu and COVID-19 vaccination rates for health care personnel. Arizona hospitals (87%) were below the national average of nearly 90% of employees vaccinated against COVID-19. At 86%, Arizona hospitals were above the national average of 81% of healthcare workers vaccinated against the flu.
Response to sepsis. Arizona hospitals at 57% were below the national average of 61% for the percentage of patients who received appropriate care for sepsis and severe septic shock.
Here's what Arizonans need to know about the latest federal star ratings:
Three Valley hospitals were among five Arizona hospitals that received the highest five star scores
Five Arizona hospitals received top five-star ratings:
Banner Payson Medical Center.
HonorHealth Scottsdale Thompson
Peak Medical Center.
Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix.
Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Prescott.
City of Hope Cancer Center Phoenix in Goodyear.
Officials with the City of Hope Cancer Center in Goodyear say they are a cancer specialty hospital. A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wrote in an email that the hospital, at 14200 W. Celebrate Life Way in Goodyear, is listed in the federal system (under the name Western Regional Medical Center) as an acute care hospital that publicly reported enough data to be included in the overall star ratings.
Three Valley hospitals were among six in Arizona to get the lowest one star rating
The worst Arizona scores in the federal government's latest star ratings:
Abrazo Scottsdale Campus.
Abrazo West Campus in Goodyear.
Havasu Regional Medical Center in Lake Havasu City.
Tempe St. Luke's Hospital.
Valley View Medical Center in Fort Mohave.
Tucson VA (Veterans Administration) Medical Center.
Most Arizona hospitals received two or three stars
Nearly 60% of the Arizona hospitals included in the ratings system received either two or three stars: 16 hospitals received two stars and 13 facilities received three. Eleven of the Arizona hospitals surveyed − about 22% − received four stars.
Arizona's results were similar to hospitals nationally. Nationwide, half of the 2,847 hospitals had one or two stars and 381 or 13% had a four-star rating.
The federal scoring system has limitations
Various rankings use a range of methodologies and measures, which is why the results aren't always consistent with other scoring systems.
Helen Haskell, who is the president of the national group Mothers Against Medical Error, believes the star ratings are overly simplistic without providing consumers with raw data, which would be more useful. Her perception is that hospitals are able to dilute the self-reported information the federal government uses for star ratings.
Haskell advises patients and their families to use scores from The Leapfrog Group, as well as hospital reviews on sites like Google and Yelp, because they often contain valuable narratives that describe specific individual experiences at hospitals.
The Washington, D.C.-based Leapfrog Group is an independent nonprofit watchdog organization that has a mission of serving 'as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers.'
Among the factors the Leapfrog safety grade takes into account are infections; problems with surgery like death from serious treatable complications or accidental cuts and tears; safety issues such as dangerous bed sores and air or gas bubbles in the blood; and staffing quality, including having enough qualified nurses and leadership to prevent errors.
The most recent Leapfrog Group safety ratings released May 1 assigned 'A' grades to eight of the 51 Arizona hospitals graded. Fifteen Arizona hospitals received a 'B' grade, 24 got a 'C', and four got 'D' grades. Leapfrog also ranks states and placed Arizona 36th in a ranking from best to worst for its percentage of 'A' hospitals. Utah ranked first.
The American Hospital Association has long had issues with the federal star ratings for, it says, not always providing equitable or accurate comparisons between facilities. The national association has recommended the federal government move away from an overall star rating, and instead explore scoring hospitals on individual topics.
Another often-criticized aspect of the star ratings is the time lag between the ratings and data collection. Some of the time periods included in the latest data start as far back as July 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, for example.
'As with any ranking or rating methodology, star ratings reflect only available measures, and as a result, the relevance of the rating to a particular patient’s care needs could vary,' Akin Demehin, the association's senior director of quality and patient safety said in a news release.
'That is why the AHA continues to encourage patients to complement information from star ratings and other hospital rankings with discussions with clinicians who know their care needs to help make fully informed decisions about their care.'
The scoring system has star ratings for nursing homes and dialysis centers
In addition to hospitals, Medicare's online tool allows consumers to compare and see overall star ratings for nursing homes/rehabilitation centers and dialysis centers, both in Arizona and across the country.
The most recent dialysis center results show that in Arizona, most centers − 69 out of the 122 scored − received three stars, while just two − Fresenius Kidney Care Westgate in Glendale and Davita Rita Ranch Dialysis in Tucson − received the highest five-star score.
The most recent results show that of 140 nursing homes and rehabilitation centers in Arizona that received star ratings, 41, or nearly 30%, had the top fivestar rating. There were 21 facilities or 15% with the lowest one-star rating.
The nursing home star ratings were the subject of a 2021 New York Times investigation that found problems with the star system, including nursing homes that hid their shortcomings in the data they reported. An analysis by reporters showed that nursing home residents at five-star facilities were roughly as likely to die of COVID-19 as those at one-star nursing homes.
One year after the New York Times investigation, CMS announced it was making enhancements to its nursing home star rating system by incorporating staffing numbers and turnover rates into the scores.
Reach healthcare reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @stephanieinnes.
