12 Illinois hospitals rank among the best in the nation for patient care
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently gave 12 Illinois hospitals a five-star rating for patient experience, safety and more.
While 10 of the state’s highest performing hospitals are located near Chicago, one in Kewanee and one in southeastern Illinois also received five star ratings.
CMS evaluated hospitals on metrics related to mortality, safety, readmission rates, patient experience and timely and effective care. Only 10.1% of hospitals across the nation earned the highest marks, with 26.5% receiving four stars, 32.5% with three stars, 22.9% receiving two stars and 8.1% receiving one star.
OSF Saint Luke Medical Center, Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern Medicine Delnor Community Hospital were among the Illinois facilities earning five stars.
CMS did not give a five-star rating to any metro-east hospitals, though several earned four stars, including Memorial Hospital in Belleville, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon and Anderson Hospital in Maryville. Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis also earned four stars.
Here’s what to know about the Land of Lincoln’s five-star hospitals, plus a primer on choosing a health care facility near you.
Which Illinois hospitals earned 5 stars?
Here’s the full list of Illinois hospitals to receive a five-star rating from CMS. They are not numerically ranked.
- OSF Saint Luke Medical Center in Kewanee
- Rush University Medical Center in Chicago
- Northwestern Medicine Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago
- Crawford Memorial Hospital in Robinson
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center - VA Chicago Healthcare System in Chicago
- Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital in La Grange
- Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital in Lake Forest
- Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital in Evanston
- Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield
- Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin
- Northwestern Medicine McHenry in McHenry
How can you choose the best hospital near you?
Although no metro-east facilities earned five stars from CMS, there are still best practices residents can use to make an informed decision on where to seek planned care.
In addition to the CMS ratings, one patient-focused review is The Leapfrog Group’s hospital safety grades, which are released twice each year. Leapfrog gives hospitals a grade from A to F based on up to 22 national safety measures, including data from CMS.
“We encourage patients to start with the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade since it is the only national rating that focuses solely on patient safety — things like accidents, errors, injuries and infections,” director of communications Lauren Bailey wrote in a Sept. 23 email to the News-Democrat. “After confirming a hospital’s strong record on safety, patients should then weigh other factors in their decision-making, such as whether the hospital provides high-quality care for their specific needs — for example, excellence in obstetrics or orthopedics.”
Bailey said it’s important to keep in mind “no hospital is perfectly safe,” including those that receive the highest marks.
“While it can be challenging, one of the most effective strategies is to take an active and assertive role in managing bedside care — to ask questions, bring a trusted family member or advocate, and speak up if something doesn’t seem right,” Bailey said. “Many of the most common hospital errors are preventable when patients and families are engaged at the bedside.”
CMS also has its own guide on selecting a hospital for planned care, and recommends these best practices:
- Talk to your doctor about their recommendations.
- Consider your personal and financial needs, such as the hospital’s location and visiting hours, whether the hospital participates in Medicare, if that applies to you, and whether you need to find an in-network provider.
- Compare hospitals on experience and quality by assessing infection rates, patient experience surveys, whether the facility’s providers have experience treating your specific condition and more.
- Along with asking your doctor, speak with someone you trust about the hospitals you’re comparing.
If you’re looking for more ways to compare hospitals, U.S. News & World Report also ranks facilities by state.
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