Penn Highlands Elk Earns Four-Star Rating from CMS

Penn Highlands Elk has earned a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, placing it among the top tier of more than 4,000 hospitals throughout the United States.

The star rating, based on a system of one to five stars, is available on the CMS Hospital Compare site located at www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare. In the most recent analysis, CMS rated more than 4,000 hospitals throughout the United States. Among those rated, the average was three stars.

“We are extremely proud to be recognized by the CMS for our continued commitment to delivering clinical excellence,” said Bradley Chapman, FACHE, PH Elk president. “This is a tribute to our physicians, nurses, techs, staff and leadership for their hard work and unyielding dedication to providing top-notch care to our patients.”

The overall rating is based on how well PH Elk performed on up to 57 quality measures in seven categories – mortality, patient experience, readmissions, safety of care, effectiveness of care, timeliness of care and efficient use of medical imaging.

The Hospital Compare website was designed to help consumers, their families and caregivers compare hospitals more easily and to help identify areas about which they may want to ask questions. Consumers can visit the Hospital Compare site and enter their zip code to view the ratings of all facilities within a specific radius.