Shawnee Mission Medical Center gets top rating

Shawnee Mission Medical Center received a five-star rating from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the only hospital in the Kansas City area to receive the top designation.

The overall rating, which was released this week, is based on a review of dozens of measurements covering seven categories reported to Medicare: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care, and efficient use of medical imaging.

Larry Botts, the hospital’s chief medical officer, said in a prepared statement that the rating was a “testament to the work of our dedicated nurses, physicians and our entire staff.”

Shawnee Mission said only 2.2 percent of the 4,600 hospitals surveyed earned the five-star rating. The overall rating ranges from one star to five stars; the most common rating was three, Medicare said.

The rating can be used by consumers as a starting point for comparing a hospital to others locally and nationwide. The rating information is posted on Medicare’s “Hospital Compare” website.

Among area hospitals surveyed, Overland Park Regional and St. Luke’s South each earned four stars while Menorah Medical Center, Olathe Medical Center and the University of Kansas Hospital all received three stars.

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Shawnee Mission Medical Center gets top rating."