RAPID CITY, S.D. — Monument Health’s Rapid City Hospital has elevated its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Quality Star Rating to four stars, building on previous quality improvements. The announcement from CMS follows the hospital’s recent Leapfrog A-safety grade, indicating continued upgrades in patient care.
The overall CMS star rating assesses a hospital’s performance across various quality metrics, including the treatment of conditions such as heart attacks and pneumonia, patient readmission rates, and safety of care.
“Monument Health physicians, nurses and caregivers continue to make a dedicated commitment to providing high-quality, safe patient care,” said Jill Tice, Vice President of Quality, Safety and Risk Management. “I am proud of the progress we have made and know we will continue to strive for excellence in all aspects of patient care.”
The hospital’s enhanced ratings were supported by a number of factors, including a decrease in unplanned readmissions and a reduced length of stay for heart failure patients during the latest reporting period. Patient surveys also showed positive feedback regarding the responsiveness of staff and the quality of discharge information provided.
In addition to the CMS recognition, U.S. News & World Report designated Rapid City Hospital as a high-performing hospital for its care and treatment of several conditions and procedures, including Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair, Heart Attack, Pacemaker procedures, Pneumonia, and Prostate conditions.
The hospital also reported specific achievements in patient safety, including zero Central Line-Associated Bloodstream infections in 2023. Additionally, colorectal surgical site infections saw a 66% reduction from 2022 to 2023, and the hospital maintained a very low C. difficile infection rate throughout 2023.