CMS report shows Wisconsin with fourth-largest number of five-star hospitals nationwide

According to Wisconsin Public Radio, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which recently released its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings, reported that Wisconsin had the fourth-largest share of hospitals nationwide to receive the highest-possible ratings. The report examines 46 measures across five categories, including mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient experience, and timely and effective care.

Of the Wisconsin hospitals evaluated by CMS, 38% received the highest rating of five stars. The national average was under half that, at 16%. Only Utah, South Dakota, and Montana had a larger share than Wisconsin of hospitals receiving five-star ratings, but Wisconsin had the largest number of five-star hospitals of those states at 29. 

An additional 39% of Wisconsin hospitals received four-star ratings from CMS, meaning 77% of state hospitals were rated 4 stars or more – a 15% increase from 2022. The increase is thought to be the result of quality-improvement and patient safety efforts across statewide hospitals over the last year.